Wireless Power Transfer from Mouse Pad to Mouse

ABSTRACT

A system for wireless power transfer includes a wireless transmission system and a wireless receiver system. The wireless transmission system is operatively associated with a mouse pad includes a transmission antenna configured to transmit one or both of wireless power signals and wireless data signals within a large charge area, the large charge area having a length of in a range of 50 millimeters (mm) to 300 mm and a width in a range of 150 to 500 mm. The wireless receiver system is configured to power a load of a computer mouse and includes a receiver antenna, the receiver antenna including a plurality of receiver coils, each of the plurality of receiver coils configured to receive one or both of the wireless power signals and the wireless data signals within the large charge area.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods forwireless transfer of electrical power and/or electrical data signals,and, more particularly, to wireless power transfer systems in a wirelessmouse and associated mouse pad, which are configured for substantialfield uniformity over a large charge area.

BACKGROUND

Wireless connection systems are used in a variety of applications forthe wireless transfer of electrical energy, electrical power,electromagnetic energy, electrical data signals, among other knownwirelessly transmittable signals. Such systems often use inductiveand/or resonant inductive wireless power transfer, which occurs whenmagnetic fields created by a transmitting element induce an electricfield and, hence, an electric current, in a receiving element. Thesetransmitting and receiving elements will often take the form of coiledwires and/or antennas.

Transmission of one or more of electrical energy, electrical power,electromagnetic energy and/or electronic data signals from one of suchcoiled antennas to another, generally, operates at an operatingfrequency and/or an operating frequency range. The operating frequencymay be selected for a variety of reasons, such as, but not limited to,power transfer characteristics, power level characteristics,self-resonant frequency restraints, design requirements, adherence tostandards bodies' required characteristics (e.g. electromagneticinterference (EMI) requirements, specific absorption rate (SAR)requirements, among other things), bill of materials (BOM), and/or formfactor constraints, among other things. It is to be noted that,“self-resonating frequency,” as known to those having skill in the art,generally refers to the resonant frequency of a passive component (e.g.,an inductor) due to the parasitic characteristics of the component.

When such systems operate to wirelessly transfer power from atransmission system to a receiver system via coils and/or antennas, itis often desired to simultaneously or intermittently communicateelectronic data from one system to the other. To that end, a variety ofcommunications systems, methods, and/or apparatus have been utilized forcombined wireless power and wireless data transfer. In some examplesystems, wireless power transfer related communications (e.g.,validation procedures, electronic characteristics data communications,voltage data, current data, device type data, among other contemplateddata communications) are performed using other circuitry, such asoptional Bluetooth chipsets and/or antennas for data communications,among other known communications circuits and/or antennas.

Further, when wireless power and data transfer is desired over a largecharge or powering area, variations in strength of an emitted field, bya transmitter, may limit operations in said charge or power area.

SUMMARY

Wireless power transmission systems, capable of substantially uniform orwith enhanced uniformity over a large charge area, are desired. Suchsystems may be particularly advantageous in charging scenarios where thepower receiver or device associated with the power receiver is regularlymoving or in motion, during a charge cycle.

In some examples, the wireless power transmission systems may beconfigured to transmit power over a large charge area, within which awireless power receiver system may receive said power. A “charge area”may be an area associated with and proximate to a wireless powertransmission system and/or a transmission antenna and within said area awireless power receiver 3 is capable of coupling with the transmissionsystem or transmission antenna at a plurality of points within thecharge area. To that end, it is advantageous, both for functionality anduser experience, that the plurality of points for coupling within acharge area include as many points as possible and with as much of aconsistent ability to couple with a receiver system, within the givencharge area. It is advantageous for large area power transmitters to bedesigned with maximum uniformity of power transmission in mind. Thus, itmay be advantageous to design such transmission antennas with uniformityratio in mind. “Uniformity ratio,” as defined herein, refers to theratio of a maximum coupling, between a wireless transmission system andwireless receiver system, to a minimum coupling between said systems,wherein said coupling values are determined by measuring or determininga coupling between the systems at a plurality of points at which thewireless receiver system and/or antenna are placed within the chargearea of the transmission antenna.

Further, while uniformity ratio can be enhanced by using more turns,coils, and/or other resonant bodies within an antenna, increasing suchuse of more conductive metals to maximize uniformity ratio may give riseto cost concerns, bill of material concerns, environmental concerns,and/or sustainability concerns, among other known drawbacks frominclusion of more conductive materials. To that end, the followingtransmission antennas may be designed by balancing uniformity ratioconsiderations with cost, environmental, and/or sustainabilityconsiderations. In other words, the following transmission antennas maybe configured to achieve an increased (e.g., maximized) uniformityratio, while reducing (e.g., minimizing) the use or the length ofconductive wires and/or traces.

Large area power transmission systems may further be configured to havemaximal metal resiliency. “Metal resiliency,” as defined herein, refersto the ability of a transmission antenna and/or a wireless transmissionsystem, itself, to avoid degradation in wireless power transferperformance when a metal or metallic material is present in anenvironment wherein the wireless transmission system operates. Forexample, metal resiliency may refer to the ability of wirelesstransmission system to maintain its inductance for power transfer, whena metallic body is present proximate to the transmission antenna.Additionally or alternatively, eddy currents generated by a metal body'spresence proximate to the transmission system may degrade performance inwireless power transfer and, thus, induction of such currents are to beavoided.

Molecule-based, large charge area transmission antennas, such as thoseof disclosed below, are particularly beneficial in lowering complexityof manufacturing, as the number of cable cross-overs is significantlylimited. Further, modularity of design for a given size is provided, asthe number of antenna molecules can be easily changed during the designprocess. Further, by specifically forming antenna molecules as puzzledantenna molecules, crossovers of each module's conductive wire aresignificantly limited. Eliminating and/or reducing crossover points aidsin speeding up production or manufacture of antenna molecules, reducescost needed for insulators placed between portions of wire at thecrossover points, and, thus, may reduce cost of production for theantenna.

Utilizing source-repeater configuration in large charge area antennasmay provide manufacturing benefits, as a larger antenna may bemanufactured at a different site or via different means than the overallsystem and/or a source coil. A series connection configuration ofantenna molecules may provide for one or more of greater mutualinductance magnitude throughout the antenna, may provide for increasedmetal resiliency for the antenna, among other benefits of a seriesconnection configuration.

Methods of manufacturing molecule based antennas, as disclosed herein,may be able to avoid the intricacy of placing small insulators betweenoverlapping, consecutive antenna molecules and/or coil atoms thereof. Byutilizing a sheet of insulator, rather than small insulators,manufacturing time may be significantly decreased, and manufacturingcomplexity may be drastically reduced. Such a method may enable fast,efficient, mass production of antennas.

Large charge area antennas may utilize internal repeaters for expandingcharge area. An “internal repeater” as defined herein is a repeater coilor antenna that is utilized as part of a common antenna for a system,rather than as a repeater outside the bounds of such an antenna (e.g., aperipheral antenna for extending a signal outside the bounds of atransmission antenna's charge area). For example, a user of the wirelesspower transmission system would not know the difference between a systemwith an internal repeater and one in which all coils are wired to thetransmitter electrical components, so long as both systems are housed inan opaque mechanical housing. Internal repeaters may be beneficial foruse in unitary wireless transmission antennas because they allow forlonger wires for coils, without introducing electromagnetic interference(EMI) that are associated with longer wires connected to a common wiredsignal source. Additionally or alternatively, use of internal repeatersmay be beneficial in improving metal resiliency and/or uniformity ratiofor the wireless transmission antenna(s).

Some antennas with internal repeaters may be configured with alternatingcurrent directions of inner and outer turns. Thus, as one views theantenna both from left-to-right and from top-to-bottom, the currentdirection reverses from turn to turn. By reversing current directionsfrom turn-to-turn both laterally (side to side) and from top-to-bottom,optimal field uniformity may be maintained. By reversing currentdirections amongst inner and outer turns, both laterally andtop-to-bottom, a receiver antenna travelling across the charge area ofthe antenna will more often be positioned more closer-to-perpendicularwith the magnetic field emanating from the antenna. Thus, as a receiverantenna will best couple with the transmission antenna at points ofperpendicularity with the magnetic field, the charge area generated bythe antenna will have greater uniformity than if all of the turnscarried the current in a common direction.

By utilizing an internal repeater coil, rather than one larger sourcecoil, EMI benefits may be seen, as a shorter wire connected to thesource may reduce EMI issues. Additionally, by utilizing the internalrepeater coil, the aforementioned reversals of current direction may bebetter achieved, which enhances uniformity and metal resilience in thetransmission antenna.

In some examples, a repeater tuning system is disposed within or inclose proximity to the internal repeater coil, rather than by routinglong wires extending to a circuit board. By omitting such long wires,complexity of manufacture may be reduced. Additionally or alternatively,by shortening the connection to the tuning system by keeping it close bythe internal repeater coil, EMI concerns related to long connectingwires may be mitigated.

Some internal repeater based antennas may utilize inter-turn capacitors.The use of inter-turn capacitors in the antenna may decrease sensitivityof the antenna, with respect to parasitic capacitances or capacitancesoutside of the scope of wireless power transfer (e.g., a naturalcapacitance of a human limb or body). Thus, the antenna may be lessaffected by such parasitic capacitances, when introduced to the fieldgenerated by the antenna, when compared to antennas not including innerturn capacitors. The inner turn capacitor, further, may be tuned tomaintain phase of the AC signals throughout the respective coils and,thus, values of the inter-turn capacitors may be based on one or more ofan operating frequency for the system(s), inductance of each turn of thecoils, and/or length of the continuous conductive wire of a respectivecoil. By maintaining phase through a coil with the inter-turncapacitors, excess or unwanted E-field emissions may be mitigated, asthere is less variance in voltages across a coil.

The inter-turn capacitors may be tuned to prevent E-Field emissions,such that the wireless power transmission system can properly operatewithin statutory or standards-body based guidelines. For example, theinter-turn capacitors may be tuned to reduce E-field emissions such thatthe wireless transmission system is capable of proper operations withinradiation limits defined by the International Commission on Non-IonizingRadiation Protection (ICNIRP).

Inclusion of a filter circuit associated with an internal repeater mayintroduce an additional impedance to the systems, which may furtherreduce sensitivity to parasitic capacitances within the charge area ofthe antenna.

Traditionally, wireless power transfer systems have employed ferrites orother magnetic shielding materials to shield antennas from the illeffects in performance caused by metallic structures within theirproximity. However, ferrite materials may be costly and/or may have asignificant environmental impact, when included in a bill of materialsfor a wireless power transmission system. Thus, a metallic meshstructure may be utilized as a more cost efficient, space efficient,and/or environmentally conscious alternative to ferrites or magneticshielding materials.

Sensitive demodulation circuits that allow for fast and accurate in-bandcommunications, regardless of the relative positions of the sender andreceiver within the power transfer range, are desired. The demodulationcircuit of the wireless power transmitters disclosed herein is a circuitthat is utilized to, at least in part, decode or demodulate ASK(amplitude shift keying) signals down to alerts for rising and fallingedges of a data signal. So long as the controller is programmed toproperly process the coding schema of the ASK modulation, thetransmission controller will expend less computational resources than itwould if it were required to decode the leading and falling edgesdirectly from an input current or voltage sense signal from the sensingsystem. To that end, the computational resources required by thetransmission controller to decode the wireless data signals aresignificantly decreased due to the inclusion of the demodulationcircuit.

This may in turn significantly reduce the BOM for the demodulationcircuit, and the wireless transmission system as a whole, by allowingusage of cheaper, less computationally capable processor(s) for or withthe transmission controller.

However, the throughput and accuracy of an edge-detection coding schemedepends in large part upon the system's ability to quickly andaccurately detect signal slope changes. Moreover, in environmentswherein the distance between, and orientations of, the sender andreceiver may change dynamically, the magnitude of the received powersignal and embedded data signal may also change dynamically. Thiscircumstance may cause a previously readable signal to become too faintto discern, or may cause a previously readable signal to becomesaturated.

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a system for wirelesspower transfer is disclosed. The system includes a wireless transmissionsystem and a wireless receiver system. The wireless transmission systemis operatively associated with a mouse pad and includes one or moretransmission electrical components, the one or more transmissionelectrical components including one or more of a transmission controlsystem, a transmission tuning system, a transmission power conditioningsystem, a transmission sensing system, or components thereof. Thetransmission system further includes a transmission antenna, thetransmission antenna configured to transmit one or both of wirelesspower signals and wireless data signals within a large charge area, thelarge charge area having a length of in a range of 50 millimeters (mm)to 300 mm and a width in a range of 150 to 500 mm. The wireless receiversystem is configured to provide electrical energy to a load associatedwith a computer mouse and includes one or more receiver electricalcomponents, the one or more receiver electrical components including oneor more of a receiver control system, a receiver tuning system, areceiver power conditioning system, a receiver sensing system, orcomponents thereof. The wireless receiver system further includes areceiver antenna, the receiver antenna including a plurality of receivercoils, each of the plurality of receiver coils configured to receive oneor both of the wireless power signals and the wireless data signalswithin the large charge area.

In a refinement, the transmission antenna includes a plurality ofantenna molecules.

In a further refinement, each of the antenna molecules are linearlyconfigured antenna molecules.

In another further refinement, each of the antenna molecules are puzzledantenna molecules.

In another further refinement, the plurality of antenna molecules areelectrically connected, to one another and the one or more transmissionelectrical components, in electrical series.

In another further refinement, the transmission antenna further includesa source coil, the antenna molecules are connected to one another inelectrical series, and the antenna molecules are configured as repeatersfor repeating the wireless power signals or wireless data signalsreceived from the source coil.

In another further refinement, the antenna molecules include a sourceantenna molecule and one or more repeater antenna molecules, the sourceantenna molecule directly connected to the one or more transmissionelectrical components and the repeater antenna molecules are configuredas repeaters for repeating the wireless power signals or wireless datasignals received from the source antenna molecule.

In another further refinement, the plurality of antenna moleculesincludes a first plurality of antenna molecules and a second pluralityof antenna molecules and the first plurality of antenna molecules areinsulated from the second plurality of antenna molecules using aninsulator between the first and second pluralities of antenna molecules.

In a refinement, the transmission antenna includes a source coil and aninternal repeater coil.

In a further refinement, the internal repeater coil includes a repeatertuning system internal of the internal repeater coil.

In another further refinement, the source coil includes a first interturn capacitor and the internal repeater coil includes a second interturn capacitor.

In another further refinement, the internal repeater coil includes arepeater filter disposed between inner and outer turns of the internalrepeater coil.

In another further refinement, the transmission system further includesat least one sensor and a demodulation circuit, the at least one sensorconfigured to determine electrical information associated with one orboth of the wireless power signals or the wireless data signals at theinternal repeater coil.

In another further refinement, the transmission system further includesa first sensor, the first sensor configured to determine electricalinformation associated with one or both of the wireless power signals orthe wireless data signals at the source coil, a first demodulationcircuit associated with the first sensor, a second sensor configured todetermine electrical information associated with one or both of thewireless power signals or the wireless data signals at the internalrepeater coil, a second demodulation circuit associated with the secondsensor, and a summing amplifier for summing output of the first andsecond demodulation circuits.

In a refinement, the transmission system further includes a metallicmesh structure positioned underneath the transmission antenna.

In a refinement, the plurality of receiver coils includes an internalrepeater coil.

In a refinement, the plurality of receiver coils are a plurality ofpolygonal receiver coils.

In a refinement, the receiver system further includes a plurality ofrectifiers, each of the plurality of rectifiers operatively associatedwith one of the plurality of receiver coils.

In a refinement, the receiver system further includes a plurality ofmodulation circuits, each of the plurality of modulation circuitsoperatively associated with one of the plurality of receiver coils.

These and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will bebetter understood when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

While the present disclosure is directed to a system that can eliminatecertain shortcomings noted in or apparent from this Background section,it should be appreciated that such a benefit is neither a limitation onthe scope of the disclosed principles n

or of the attached claims, except to the extent expressly noted in theclaims. Additionally, the discussion of technology in this Backgroundsection is reflective of the inventors' own observations,considerations, and thoughts, and is in no way intended to accuratelycatalog or comprehensively summarize the art currently in the publicdomain. As such, the inventors expressly disclaim this section asadmitted or assumed prior art. Moreover, the identification herein of adesirable course of action reflects the inventors' own observations andideas, and should not be assumed to indicate an art-recognizeddesirability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system for wirelesslytransferring one or more of electrical energy, electrical power signals,electrical power, electromagnetic energy, electronic data, andcombinations thereof, in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of a wirelesstransmission system of FIG. 1 and a wireless receiver system of FIG. 1 ,in accordance with FIG. 1 and the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of a transmissioncontrol system of the wireless transmission system of FIG. 2 , inaccordance with FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , and the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components of a sensing system ofthe transmission control system of FIG. 3 , in accordance with FIGS. 1-3and the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example low pass filter of the sensingsystem of FIG. 4 , in accordance with FIGS. 1-4 and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating components of a demodulationcircuit for the wireless transmission system of FIGS. 2 , in accordancewith FIGS. 1-5 and the present disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a first portion of a schematic circuit diagram for thedemodulation circuit of FIG. 6 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7B is a second portion of the schematic circuit diagram for thedemodulation circuit of FIGS. 6 and 7A, in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a timing diagram for voltages of an electrical signal, as ittravels through the demodulation circuit, in accordance with FIGS. 1-7and the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating components of a powerconditioning system of the wireless transmission system of FIG. 2 , inaccordance with FIGS. 1-2 , and the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating components of a receiver controlsystem and a receiver power conditioning system of the wireless receiversystem of FIGS. 2 , in accordance with FIGS. 1-2 , and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11A is a top view of an exemplary transmission antenna, including aplurality of antenna molecules, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9 and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 11B is a top view of an exemplary antenna molecule of the antennaof FIG. 11A, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11A, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11C is a top view of an exemplary source coil atom of an antennamolecule of FIGS. 11A, 11B, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11A-B, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 11D is a top view of an exemplary connected coil atom of an antennamolecule of FIGS. 11A-C, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11A-C, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 12A is a top view of another exemplary transmission antenna,including a plurality of antenna molecules, in accordance with FIGS.1-9, 11A-D, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 12B is a top view of an exemplary antenna molecule of the antennaof FIG. 12A, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-12A, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 12C is a top view of an exemplary source coil atom of an antennamolecule of FIGS. 12A, 12B, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-12B, andthe present disclosure.

FIG. 12D is a top view of an exemplary connected coil atom of an antennamolecule of FIGS. 12A-C, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-12C, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 13A is a top view of another exemplary transmission antenna,including a plurality of antenna molecules, in accordance with FIGS.1-9, 11-12D, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 13B is a top view of an exemplary first puzzled antenna molecule ofthe antenna of FIG. 13A, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-13A, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 13C is a top view of an exemplary second puzzled antenna moleculeof the antenna of FIG. 13A, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-13B, andthe present disclosure.

FIG. 14A is a top view of another exemplary transmission antenna,including a plurality of antenna molecules, in accordance with FIGS.1-9, 11-13D, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 14B is a top view of an exemplary first puzzled antenna molecule ofthe antenna of FIG. 14A, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-14A, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 14C is a top view of an exemplary second puzzled antenna moleculeof the antenna of FIG. 14A, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-14B, andthe present disclosure.

FIG. 15A is a schematic block diagram for an exemplary source-parallelelectrical connection of a molecule-based wireless power transmissionantenna, such as those of FIGS. 11-14 , in accordance with FIGS. 1-9,11-14C, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 15B is a top view of an exemplary transmission antenna, including aplurality of antenna molecules, a source coil, and the source-parallelelectrical connection of FIG. 15A, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-15A,and the present disclosure.

FIG. 15C is a top view of another exemplary transmission antenna,including a plurality of antenna molecules, a source coil, and thesource-parallel electrical connection of FIG. 15A, in accordance withFIGS. 1-9, 11-15B, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram for an example method for manufacturing oneor more of the wireless power transmission antennas of FIGS. 15A-C, inaccordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-15C, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 17A is an example top view for one or more of the wireless powertransmission antennas of FIGS. 15A-16 , including at least one housing,in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-16 , and the present disclosure.

FIG. 17B is an example top view for one or more of the wireless powertransmission antennas of FIGS. 15A-16 , including two housingsillustrated in separation, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-16 , and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 18A is a schematic block diagram for an exemplary source-parallelelectrical connection of a molecule-based wireless power transmissionantenna, such as those of FIGS. 11-17B, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9,11-17B, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 18B is a top view of an exemplary transmission antenna, including aplurality of antenna molecules, a source coil, and the source-parallelelectrical connection of FIG. 18A, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-18A,and the present disclosure.

FIG. 18C is a top view of another exemplary transmission antenna,including a plurality of antenna molecules, a source coil, and thesource-parallel electrical connection of FIG. 18A, in accordance withFIGS. 1-9, 11-18B, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 19A is a schematic block diagram for an exemplary series electricalconnection of a molecule-based wireless power transmission antenna, suchas those of FIGS. 11-18C, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-18C, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 19B is a top view of an exemplary transmission antenna, including aplurality of antenna molecules and the source-parallel electricalconnection of FIG. 18B, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-18B, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 19C is a top view of another exemplary transmission antenna,including a plurality of antenna molecules, a source coil, and thesource-parallel electrical connection of FIG. 18A, in accordance withFIGS. 1-9, 11-18B, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram for a method for manufacturing amolecule-based wireless power transmission antenna, in accordance withFIGS. 1-9, 11-19C, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 21A is a top view of a first plurality of antenna molecules for awireless power transmission antenna manufactured via the method of FIG.20 , in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-20 , and the present disclosure.

FIG. 21B is a top view of a second plurality of antenna molecules for awireless power transmission antenna manufactured via the method of FIG.20 , in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-21A, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 21C is a perspective view of the first and second pluralities ofantenna molecules of FIGS. 21A-B, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-21B,and the present disclosure.

FIG. 21D is a perspective view of the wireless power transmissionantenna, manufactured via the method of FIG. 20 , in accordance withFIGS. 1-9, 11-21D, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 22A is a top view of a wireless power transmission antenna having asource coil and an internal repeater coil, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9and the present disclosure.

FIG. 22B is a top view of another wireless power transmission antennahaving a source coil and an internal repeater coil, in accordance withFIGS. 1-9, 22 , and the present disclosure.

FIG. 22C is a top view of a wireless power transmission antenna having asource coil and an internal repeater coil, with tuning capacitorsinternal of the inner repeater coil, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9,22A-B, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 22D is a top view of another wireless power transmission antennahaving a source coil and an internal repeater coil, with tuningcapacitors internal of the inner repeater coil, in accordance with FIGS.1-9, 22A-C, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 22E is a top view of a wireless power transmission antenna having asource coil and an internal repeater coil, with inter-turn capacitors,in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 22A-D, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 22F is a top view of another wireless power transmission antennahaving a source coil and an internal repeater coil, with inter-turncapacitors, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 22A-E, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 22G is a top view of another wireless power transmission antennahaving a source coil and an internal repeater coil, with a repeaterfilter, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 22A-F, and the present disclosure

FIG. 22H is a top view of another wireless power transmission antennahaving a source coil and an internal repeater coil, each coil having aplurality of turns, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 22A-G, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 23A is a first configuration for connecting communicationscircuitry of FIGS. 1-9 to a wireless transmission antenna having asource coil and an internal repeater coil, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9,22A-H, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 23B is a second configuration for connecting communicationscircuitry of FIGS. 1-9 to a wireless transmission antenna having asource coil and an internal repeater coil, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9,22-23A, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 24 is another configuration for connecting communications circuitryof FIGS. 1-9 to a wireless transmission antenna having a source coil andan internal repeater coil, including a summing amplifier, in accordancewith FIGS. 1-9, 22-23B, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 25A is a top view of a metallic mesh structure for improving metalresiliency in a wireless transmission antenna, in accordance with FIGS.1-9, 11-24 , and the present disclosure.

FIG. 25B is a top view of the metallic mesh structure of FIG. 25A,disposed relative to an example wireless power transmission antenna, inaccordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-25B, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 25C top view of the metallic mesh structure of FIGS. 25A-B,disposed relative to an example wireless power transmission antenna anda housing structure, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-25B, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 25D is a side, cross-sectional view of a wireless powertransmission antenna, the metallic mesh structure of FIGS. 25A-C, and anexample housing, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-25C, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 25E is a side, cross-sectional view of a wireless powertransmission antenna, the metallic mesh structure of FIGS. 25A-D, andanother example housing, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-25D, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 25F is a side, cross-sectional view of a wireless powertransmission antenna, the metallic mesh structure of FIGS. 25A-E, andyet another example housing, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-25E, andthe present disclosure.

FIG. 25G is a bottom view of an example housing and metallic meshstructure of FIGS. 25A-F, wherein the metallic mesh structure isdisposed on the exterior of the housing, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9,11-25F, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 25H is a bottom view of an example housing and metallic meshstructure of FIGS. 28 , wherein the metallic mesh structure is disposedon the exterior of the housing, in accordance with FIGS. 1-9, 11-25G,and the present disclosure.

FIG. 26 is a top view of a non-limiting, exemplary antenna, for use as areceiver antenna of the system of FIGS. 1-10 and/or any other systems,methods, or apparatus disclosed herein, in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 27A is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a receiverantenna for the wireless receiver system of FIG. 10 , in accordance withFIGS. 1-2, 10, 26 , and the present disclosure.

FIG. 27B is side cross-sectional view of another embodiment of areceiver antenna for the wireless receiver system of FIG. 10 , inaccordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10, 26-27A, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 27C is a top view of a receiver coil of the antenna(s) of FIGS.27A-B, in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10, 26-27B, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 27D is a top view of a repeater coil of the antenna(s) of FIGS.27A-C, in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10, 26-27C, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 27E is a top view of a repeater coil of the antenna(s) of FIGS.27A-C, in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10, 26-27C, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 28A is a top view of a polygonal receiver antenna for the wirelessreceiver system of FIG. 10 , in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10 , and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 28B is a top view of another polygonal receiver antenna for thewireless receiver system of FIG. 10 , in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10,28A, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 28C is a top view of one of the polygonal coils of the polygonalreceiver antenna of FIG. 14B, in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10, 28A-B,and the present disclosure.

FIG. 28D is a top view of a first layer of another polygonal receiverantenna, in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10, 28A-C, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 28E is a top view of a second layer of the polygonal receiverantenna of FIG. 28D, in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10, 28A-D, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 29 is a block diagram for a configuration of the wireless receiversystem of FIG. 10 , wherein the receiver antenna of the system includesmultiple receiver coils, in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10, 28A-E, andthe present disclosure.

FIG. 30 is a block diagram for another configuration of the wirelessreceiver system of FIG. 10 , wherein the receiver antenna of the systemincludes multiple receiver coils, in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, 10,28A-E, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 31 is a side perspective view of an example mouse and mouse pad,within which the systems disclosed herein may be integrated, inaccordance with FIGS. 1-30 and the present disclosure.

While the following detailed description will be given with respect tocertain illustrative embodiments, it should be understood that thedrawings are not necessarily to scale and the disclosed embodiments aresometimes illustrated diagrammatically and in partial views. Inaddition, in certain instances, details which are not necessary for anunderstanding of the disclosed subject matter or which render otherdetails too difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It shouldtherefore be understood that this disclosure is not limited to theparticular embodiments disclosed and illustrated herein, but rather to afair reading of the entire disclosure and claims, as well as anyequivalents thereto. Additional, different, or fewer components andmethods may be included in the systems and methods.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth byway of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding of therelevant teachings. However, it should be apparent to those skilled inthe art that the present teachings may be practiced without suchdetails. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components,and/or circuitry have been described at a relatively high-level, withoutdetail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the presentteachings.

Referring now to the drawings and with specific reference to FIG. 1 , awireless power transfer system 10 is illustrated. The wireless powertransfer system 10 provides for the wireless transmission of electricalsignals, such as, but not limited to, electrical energy, electricalpower, electrical power signals, electromagnetic energy, andelectronically transmittable data (“electronic data”). As used herein,the term “electrical power signal” refers to an electrical signaltransmitted specifically to provide meaningful electrical energy forcharging and/or directly powering a load, whereas the term “electronicdata signal” refers to an electrical signal that is utilized to conveydata across a medium.

The wireless power transfer system 10 provides for the wirelesstransmission of electrical signals via near field magnetic coupling. Asshown in the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the wireless power transfer system10 includes one or more wireless transmission systems 20 and one or morewireless receiver systems 30. A wireless receiver system 30 isconfigured to receive electrical signals from, at least, a wirelesstransmission system 20.

As illustrated, the wireless transmission system(s) 20 and wirelessreceiver system(s) 30 may be configured to transmit electrical signalsacross, at least, a separation distance or gap 17. A separation distanceor gap, such as the gap 17, in the context of a wireless power transfersystem, such as the system 10, does not include a physical connection,such as a wired connection. There may be intermediary objects located ina separation distance or gap, such as, but not limited to, air, acounter top, a casing for an electronic device, a plastic filament, aninsulator, a mechanical wall, among other things; however, there is nophysical, electrical connection at such a separation distance or gap.

Thus, the combination of two or more wireless transmission systems 20and wireless receiver system 30 create an electrical connection withoutthe need for a physical connection. As used herein, the term “electricalconnection” refers to any facilitation of a transfer of an electricalcurrent, voltage, and/or power from a first location, device, component,and/or source to a second location, device, component, and/ordestination. An “electrical connection” may be a physical connection,such as, but not limited to, a wire, a trace, a via, among otherphysical electrical connections, connecting a first location, device,component, and/or source to a second location, device, component, and/ordestination. Additionally or alternatively, an “electrical connection”may be a wireless power and/or data transfer, such as, but not limitedto, magnetic, electromagnetic, resonant, and/or inductive field, amongother wireless power and/or data transfers, connecting a first location,device, component, and/or source to a second location, device,component, and/or destination.

Further, while FIGS. 1-2 may depict wireless power signals and wirelessdata signals transferring only from one antenna (e.g., a transmissionantenna 21) to another antenna (e.g., a receiver antenna 31 and/or atransmission antenna 21), it is certainly possible that a transmittingantenna 21 may transfer electrical signals and/or couple with one ormore other antennas and transfer, at least in part, components of theoutput signals or magnetic fields of the transmitting antenna 21. Suchtransmission may include secondary and/or stray coupling or signaltransfer to multiple antennas of the system 10.

In some cases, the gap 17 may also be referenced as a “Z-Distance,”because, if one considers antennas 21, 31 each to be disposedsubstantially along respective common X-Y planes, then the distanceseparating the antennas 21, 31 is the gap in a “Z” or “depth” direction.However, flexible and/or non-planar coils are certainly contemplated byembodiments of the present disclosure and, thus, it is contemplated thatthe gap 17 may not be uniform, across an envelope of connectiondistances between the antennas 21, 31. It is contemplated that varioustunings, configurations, and/or other parameters may alter the possiblemaximum distance of the gap 17, such that electrical transmission fromthe wireless transmission system 20 to the wireless receiver system 30remains possible. Moreover, in an embodiment, the characteristics of thegap 17 can change during use, such as by an increase or decrease indistance and/or a change in relative device orientations.

The wireless power transfer system 10 operates when the wirelesstransmission system 20 and the wireless receiver system 30 are coupled.As used herein, the terms “couples,” “coupled,” and “coupling” generallyrefer to magnetic field coupling, which occurs when a transmitter and/orany components thereof and a receiver and/or any components thereof arecoupled to each other through a magnetic field. Such coupling mayinclude coupling, represented by a coupling coefficient (k), that is atleast sufficient for an induced electrical power signal, from atransmitter, to be harnessed by a receiver. Coupling of the wirelesstransmission system 20 and the wireless receiver system 30, in thesystem 10, may be represented by a resonant coupling coefficient of thesystem 10 and, for the purposes of wireless power transfer, the couplingcoefficient for the system 10 may be in the range of about 0.01 and 0.9.

As illustrated, at least one wireless transmission system 20 isassociated with an input power source 12. The input power source 12 maybe operatively associated with a host device, which may be anyelectrically operated device, circuit board, electronic assembly,dedicated charging device, or any other contemplated electronic device.Example host devices, with which the wireless transmission system 20 maybe associated therewith, include, but are not limited to including, adevice that includes an integrated circuit, a portable computing device,storage medium for electronic devices, charging apparatus for one ormultiple electronic devices, dedicated electrical charging devices,among other contemplated electronic devices.

The input power source 12 may be or may include one or more electricalstorage devices, such as an electrochemical cell, a battery pack, and/ora capacitor, among other storage devices. Additionally or alternatively,the input power source 12 may be any electrical input source (e.g., anyalternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) delivery port) and mayinclude connection apparatus from said electrical input source to thewireless transmission system 20 (e.g., transformers, regulators,conductive conduits, traces, wires, or equipment, goods, computer,camera, mobile phone, and/or other electrical device connection portsand/or adaptors, such as but not limited to USB ports and/or adaptors,among other contemplated electrical components).

Electrical energy received by the wireless transmission system(s) 20 isthen used for at least two purposes: to provide electrical power tointernal components of the wireless transmission system 20 and toprovide electrical power to the transmission antenna 21. Thetransmission antenna 21 is configured to wirelessly transmit theelectrical signals conditioned and modified for wireless transmission bythe wireless transmission system 20 via near-field magnetic coupling(NFMC). Near-field magnetic coupling enables the transfer of signalswirelessly through magnetic induction between the transmission antenna21 and one or more of receiving antenna 31 of, or associated with, thewireless receiver system 30, another transmission antenna 21, orcombinations thereof. Near-field magnetic coupling may be and/or bereferred to as “inductive coupling,” which, as used herein, is awireless power transmission technique that utilizes an alternatingelectromagnetic field to transfer electrical energy between twoantennas. Such inductive coupling is the near field wirelesstransmission of magnetic energy between two magnetically coupled coilsthat are tuned to resonate at a similar frequency. Accordingly, suchnear-field magnetic coupling may enable efficient wireless powertransmission via resonant transmission of confined magnetic fields.Further, such near-field magnetic coupling may provide connection via“mutual inductance,” which, as defined herein is the production of anelectromotive force in a circuit by a change in current in a secondcircuit magnetically coupled to the first.

In one or more embodiments, the inductor coils of either thetransmission antenna 21 or the receiver antenna 31 are strategicallypositioned to facilitate reception and/or transmission of wirelesslytransferred electrical signals through near field magnetic induction.Antenna operating frequencies may comprise relatively high operatingfrequency ranges, examples of which may include, but are not limited to,6.78 MHz (e.g., in accordance with the Rezence and/or Airfuel interfacestandard and/or any other proprietary interface standard operating at afrequency of 6.78 MHz), 13.56 MHz (e.g., in accordance with the NFCstandard, defined by ISO/IEC standard 18092), 27 MHz, and/or anoperating frequency of another proprietary operating mode. The operatingfrequencies of the antennas 21, 31 may be operating frequenciesdesignated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in theIndustrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) frequency bands, including notlimited to 6.78 MHz, 13.56 MHz, and 27 MHz, which are designated for usein wireless power transfer.

The transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the presentdisclosure may be configured to transmit and/or receive electrical powerhaving a magnitude that ranges from about 10 milliwatts (mW) to about500 watts (W). In one or more embodiments the inductor coil of thetransmitting antenna 21 is configured to resonate at a transmittingantenna resonant frequency or within a transmitting antenna resonantfrequency band. A “coil” of a wireless power antenna (e.g., thetransmission antenna 21, the receiver antenna 31), as defined herein, isany conductor, wire, or other current carrying material, configured toresonate for the purposes of wireless power transfer and optionalwireless data transfer.

As known to those skilled in the art, a “resonant frequency” or“resonant frequency band” refers a frequency or frequencies whereinamplitude response of the antenna is at a relative maximum, or,additionally or alternatively, the frequency or frequency band where thecapacitive reactance has a magnitude substantially similar to themagnitude of the inductive reactance. In one or more embodiments, thetransmitting antenna resonant frequency is at a high frequency, as knownto those in the art of wireless power transfer.

The wireless receiver system 30 may be associated with at least onecomputer peripheral 14, wherein the computer peripheral 14 may be anydevice providing input and/or output to a computing device, thatrequires electrical power for any function and/or for power storage(e.g., via a battery and/or capacitor). Additionally, the computerperipheral 14 may be any computer peripheral capable of receipt ofelectronically transmissible data. For example, the computer peripheral14 may be, but is not limited to being, a computer input device, amouse, a keyboard, an audio device, a headset, headphones, earbuds, arecording device, a conference telephonic device, a microphone, anelectronic stylus, a handheld computing device, a mobile device, anelectronic tool, a game console, a robotic device, a wearable electronicdevice (e.g., an electronic watch, electronically modified glasses,altered-reality (AR) glasses, virtual reality (VR) glasses, among otherthings), a portable scanning device, a portable identifying device, asporting good, an embedded sensor, an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor,IoT enabled clothing, IoT enabled recreational equipment, a tabletcomputing device, a portable control device, a remote controller for anelectronic device, a gaming controller, among other things.

For the purposes of illustrating the features and characteristics of thedisclosed embodiments of FIGS. 1-10 , arrow-ended lines are utilized toillustrate transferrable and/or communicative signals and variouspatterns are used to illustrate electrical signals that are intended forpower transmission and electrical signals that are intended for thetransmission of data and/or control instructions. Solid lines indicatesignal transmission of electrical energy over a physical and/or wirelesspower transfer, in the form of power signals that are, ultimately,utilized in wireless power transmission from the wireless transmissionsystem 20 to the wireless receiver system 30. Further, dotted lines areutilized to illustrate electronically transmittable data signals, whichultimately may be wirelessly transmitted from the wireless transmissionsystem 20 to the wireless receiver system 30.

While the systems and methods herein illustrate the transmission ofwirelessly transmitted energy, wireless power signals, wirelesslytransmitted power, wirelessly transmitted electromagnetic energy, and/orelectronically transmittable data, it is certainly contemplated that thesystems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein may be utilized in thetransmission of only one signal, various combinations of two signals, ormore than two signals and, further, it is contemplated that the systems,method, and apparatus disclosed herein may be utilized for wirelesstransmission of other electrical signals in addition to or uniquely incombination with one or more of the above mentioned signals. In someexamples, the signal paths of solid or dotted lines may represent afunctional signal path, whereas, in practical application, the actualsignal is routed through additional components en route to its indicateddestination. For example, it may be indicated that a data signal routesfrom a communications apparatus to another communications apparatus;however, in practical application, the data signal may be routed throughan amplifier, then through a transmission antenna, to a receiverantenna, where, on the receiver end, the data signal is decoded by arespective communications device of the receiver.

Turning now to FIGS. 2-3 , the wireless power transfer system 10 isillustrated as a block diagram including example sub-systems of both thewireless transmission systems 20 and the wireless receiver systems 30.The wireless transmission systems 20 may include, at least, a powerconditioning system 40, a transmission control system 26, a demodulationcircuit 70, a transmission tuning system 24, and the transmissionantenna 21. A first portion of the electrical energy input from theinput power source 12 may be configured to electrically power componentsof the wireless transmission system 20 such as, but not limited to, thetransmission control system 26.

A second portion of the electrical energy input from the input powersource 12 is conditioned and/or modified for wireless powertransmission, to the wireless receiver system 30, via the transmissionantenna 21. Accordingly, the second portion of the input energy ismodified and/or conditioned by the power conditioning system 40. Whilenot illustrated, it is certainly contemplated that one or both of thefirst and second portions of the input electrical energy may bemodified, conditioned, altered, and/or otherwise changed prior toreceipt by the power conditioning system 40 and/or transmission controlsystem 26, by further contemplated subsystems (e.g., a voltageregulator, a current regulator, switching systems, fault systems, safetyregulators, among other things).

Referring more specifically now to FIG. 3 , with continued reference toFIGS. 1 and 2 , subcomponents and/or systems of the transmission controlsystem 26 are illustrated. The transmission control system 26 mayinclude a sensing system 50, a transmission controller 28, a driver 48,a memory 27 and a demodulation circuit 70.

The transmission controller 28 may be any electronic controller orcomputing system that includes, at least, a processor which performsoperations, executes control algorithms, stores data, retrieves data,gathers data, controls and/or provides communication with othercomponents and/or subsystems associated with the wireless transmissionsystem 20, and/or performs any other computing or controlling taskdesired. The transmission controller 28 may be a single controller ormay include more than one controller disposed to control variousfunctions and/or features of the wireless transmission system 20.Functionality of the transmission controller 28 may be implemented inhardware and/or software and may rely on one or more data maps relatingto the operation of the wireless transmission system 20. To that end,the transmission controller 28 may be operatively associated with thememory 27.

The memory may include one or more of internal memory, external memory,and/or remote memory (e.g., a database and/or server operativelyconnected to the transmission controller 28 via a network, such as, butnot limited to, the Internet). The internal memory and/or externalmemory may include, but are not limited to including, one or more of aread only memory (ROM), including programmable read-only memory (PROM),erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or sometimes but rarelylabelled EROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory(EEPROM), random access memory (RAM), including dynamic RAM (DRAM),static RAM (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), single data ratesynchronous dynamic RAM (SDR SDRAM), double data rate synchronousdynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4), and graphics double data ratesynchronous dynamic RAM (GDDR SDRAM, GDDR2, GDDR3, GDDR4, GDDR5, a flashmemory, a portable memory, and the like. Such memory media are examplesof nontransitory machine readable and/or computer readable memory media.

While particular elements of the transmission control system 26 areillustrated as independent components and/or circuits (e.g., the driver48, the memory 27, the sensing system 50, among other contemplatedelements) of the transmission control system 26, such components may beintegrated with the transmission controller 28. In some examples, thetransmission controller 28 may be an integrated circuit configured toinclude functional elements of one or both of the transmissioncontroller 28 and the wireless transmission system 20, generally.

As illustrated, the transmission controller 28 is in operativeassociation, for the purposes of data transmission, receipt, and/orcommunication, with, at least, the memory 27, the power conditioningsystem 40, the driver 48, and the sensing system 50. The driver 48 maybe implemented to control, at least in part, the operation of the powerconditioning system 40. In some examples, the driver 48 may receiveinstructions from the transmission controller 28 to generate and/oroutput a generated pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to the powerconditioning system 40. In some such examples, the PWM signal may beconfigured to drive the power conditioning system 40 to outputelectrical power as an alternating current signal, having an operatingfrequency defined by the PWM signal. In some examples, PWM signal may beconfigured to generate a duty cycle for the AC power signal output bythe power conditioning system 40. In some such examples, the duty cyclemay be configured to be about 50% of a given period of the AC powersignal.

The sensing system may include one or more sensors, wherein each sensormay be operatively associated with one or more components of thewireless transmission system 20 and configured to provide informationand/or data. The term “sensor” is used in its broadest interpretation todefine one or more components operatively associated with the wirelesstransmission system 20 that operate to sense functions, conditions,electrical characteristics, operations, and/or operating characteristicsof one or more of the wireless transmission system 20, the wirelessreceiving system 30, the input power source 12, the host device 11, thetransmission antenna 21, the receiver antenna 31, along with any othercomponents and/or subcomponents thereof.

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 4 , the sensing system 50 mayinclude, but is not limited to including, a thermal sensing system 52,an object sensing system 54, a receiver sensing system 56, a currentsensor 57, and/or any other sensor(s) 58. Within these systems, theremay exist even more specific optional additional or alternative sensingsystems addressing particular sensing aspects required by anapplication, such as, but not limited to: a condition-based maintenancesensing system, a performance optimization sensing system, astate-of-charge sensing system, a temperature management sensing system,a component heating sensing system, an IoT sensing system, an energyand/or power management sensing system, an impact detection sensingsystem, an electrical status sensing system, a speed detection sensingsystem, a device health sensing system, among others. The object sensingsystem 54, may be a foreign object detection (FOD) system.

Each of the thermal sensing system 52, the object sensing system 54, thereceiver sensing system 56, the current sensor 57 and/or the othersensor(s) 58, including the optional additional or alternative systems,are operatively and/or communicatively connected to the transmissioncontroller 28. The thermal sensing system 52 is configured to monitorambient and/or component temperatures within the wireless transmissionsystem 20 or other elements nearby the wireless transmission system 20.The thermal sensing system 52 may be configured to detect a temperaturewithin the wireless transmission system 20 and, if the detectedtemperature exceeds a threshold temperature, the transmission controller28 prevents the wireless transmission system 20 from operating. Such athreshold temperature may be configured for safety considerations,operational considerations, efficiency considerations, and/or anycombinations thereof. In a non-limiting example, if, via input from thethermal sensing system 52, the transmission controller 28 determinesthat the temperature within the wireless transmission system 20 hasincreased from an acceptable operating temperature to an undesiredoperating temperature (e.g., in a non-limiting example, the internaltemperature increasing from about 20° Celsius (C) to about 50° C., thetransmission controller 28 prevents the operation of the wirelesstransmission system 20 and/or reduces levels of power output from thewireless transmission system 20. In some non-limiting examples, thethermal sensing system 52 may include one or more of a thermocouple, athermistor, a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) resistor, aresistance temperature detector (RTD), and/or any combinations thereof.

As depicted in FIG. 4 , the transmission sensing system 50 may includethe object sensing system 54. The object sensing system 54 may beconfigured to detect one or more of the wireless receiver system 30and/or the receiver antenna 31, thus indicating to the transmissioncontroller 28 that the receiver system 30 is proximate to the wirelesstransmission system 20. Additionally or alternatively, the objectsensing system 54 may be configured to detect presence of unwantedobjects in contact with or proximate to the wireless transmission system20. In some examples, the object sensing system 54 is configured todetect the presence of an undesired object. In some such examples, ifthe transmission controller 28, via information provided by the objectsensing system 54, detects the presence of an undesired object, then thetransmission controller 28 prevents or otherwise modifies operation ofthe wireless transmission system 20. In some examples, the objectsensing system 54 utilizes an impedance change detection scheme, inwhich the transmission controller 28 analyzes a change in electricalimpedance observed by the transmission antenna 20 against a known,acceptable electrical impedance value or range of electrical impedancevalues.

Additionally or alternatively, the object sensing system 54 may utilizea quality factor (Q) change detection scheme, in which the transmissioncontroller 28 analyzes a change from a known quality factor value orrange of quality factor values of the object being detected, such as thereceiver antenna 31. The “quality factor” or “Q” of an inductor can bedefined as (frequency (Hz)×inductance (H))/resistance (ohms), wherefrequency is the operational frequency of the circuit, inductance is theinductance output of the inductor and resistance is the combination ofthe radiative and reactive resistances that are internal to theinductor. “Quality factor,” as defined herein, is generally accepted asan index (figure of measure) that measures the efficiency of anapparatus like an antenna, a circuit, or a resonator. In some examples,the object sensing system 54 may include one or more of an opticalsensor, an electro-optical sensor, a Hall Effect sensor, a proximitysensor, and/or any combinations thereof. In some examples, the qualityfactor measurements, described above, may be performed when the wirelesspower transfer system 10 is performing in band communications.

The receiver sensing system 56 is any sensor, circuit, and/orcombinations thereof configured to detect a presence of any wirelessreceiving system that may be couplable with the wireless transmissionsystem 20. In some examples, the receiver sensing system 56 and theobject sensing system 54 may be combined, may share components, and/ormay be embodied by one or more common components. In some examples, ifthe presence of any such wireless receiving system is detected, wirelesstransmission of electrical energy, electrical power, electromagneticenergy, and/or data by the wireless transmission system 20 to saidwireless receiving system is enabled. In some examples, if the presenceof a wireless receiver system is not detected, continued wirelesstransmission of electrical energy, electrical power, electromagneticenergy, and/or data is prevented from occurring. Accordingly, thereceiver sensing system 56 may include one or more sensors and/or may beoperatively associated with one or more sensors that are configured toanalyze electrical characteristics within an environment of or proximateto the wireless transmission system 20 and, based on the electricalcharacteristics, determine presence of a wireless receiver system 30.

The current sensor 57 may be any sensor configured to determineelectrical information from an electrical signal, such as a voltage or acurrent, based on a current reading at the current sensor 57. Componentsof an example current sensor 57 are further illustrated in FIG. 5 ,which is a block diagram for the current sensor 57. The current sensor57 may include a transformer 51, a rectifier 53, and/or a low passfilter 55, to process the AC wireless signals, transferred via couplingbetween the wireless receiver system(s) 20 and wireless transmissionsystem(s) 30, to determine or provide information to derive a current(I_(Tx)) or voltage (V_(Tx)) at the transmission antenna 21. Thetransformer 51 may receive the AC wireless signals and either step up orstep down the voltage of the AC wireless signal, such that it canproperly be processed by the current sensor. The rectifier 53 mayreceive the transformed AC wireless signal and rectify the signal, suchthat any negative voltages remaining in the transformed AC wirelesssignal are either eliminated or converted to opposite positive voltages,to generate a rectified AC wireless signal. The low pass filter 55 isconfigured to receive the rectified AC wireless signal and filter out ACcomponents (e.g., the operating or carrier frequency of the AC wirelesssignal) of the rectified AC wireless signal, such that a DC voltage isoutput for the current (I_(Tx)) and/or voltage (V_(Tx)) at thetransmission antenna 21.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for a demodulation circuit 70 for the wirelesstransmission system(s) 20, which is used by the wireless transmissionsystem 20 to simplify or decode components of wireless data signals ofan alternating current (AC) wireless signal, prior to transmission ofthe wireless data signal to the transmission controller 28. Thedemodulation circuit includes, at least, a slope detector 72 and acomparator 74. In some examples, the demodulation circuit 70 includes aset/reset (SR) latch 76.

In some examples, the demodulation circuit 70 may be an analog circuitcomprised of one or more passive components (e.g., resistors,capacitors, inductors, diodes, among other passive components) and/orone or more active components (e.g., operational amplifiers, logicgates, among other active components). Alternatively, it is contemplatedthat the demodulation circuit 70 and some or all of its components maybe implemented as an integrated circuit (IC). In either an analogcircuit or IC, it is contemplated that the demodulation circuit may beexternal of the transmission controller 28 and is configured to provideinformation associated with wireless data signals transmitted from thewireless receiver system 30 to the wireless transmission system 20.

The demodulation circuit 70 is configured to receive electricalinformation (e.g., I_(Tx), V_(Tx)) from at least one sensor (e.g., asensor of the sensing system 50), detect a change in such electricalinformation, determine if the change in the electrical information meetsor exceeds one of a rise threshold or a fall threshold. If the changeexceeds one of the rise threshold or the fall threshold, thedemodulation circuit 70 generates an output signal and also generatesand outputs one or more data alerts. Such data alerts are received bythe transmitter controller 28 and decoded by the transmitter controller28 to determine the wireless data signals.

In other words, in an embodiment, the demodulation circuit 70 isconfigured to monitor the slope of an electrical signal (e.g., slope ofa voltage signal at the power conditioning system 32 of a wirelessreceiver system 30) and to output an indication when said slope exceedsa maximum slope threshold or undershoots a minimum slope threshold. Suchslope monitoring and/or slope detection by the communications system 70is particularly useful when detecting or decoding an amplitude shiftkeying (ASK) signal that encodes the wireless data signals in-band ofthe wireless power signal (which is oscillating at the operatingfrequency).

In an ASK signal, as noted above, the wireless data signals are encodedby damping the voltage of the magnetic field between the wirelesstransmission system 20 and the wireless receiver system 30. Such dampingand subsequent re-rising of the voltage in the field is performed basedon an underlying encoding scheme for the wireless data signals (e.g.,binary coding, Manchester coding, pulse-width modulated coding, amongother known or novel coding systems and methods). The receiver of thewireless data signals (e.g., the wireless transmission system 20 in thisexample) can then detect rising and falling edges of the voltage of thefield and decode said rising and falling edges to demodulate thewireless data signals.

Ideally, an ASK signal would rise and fall instantaneously, with nodiscernable slope between the high voltage and the low voltage for ASKmodulation; however, in reality, there is a finite amount of time thatpasses when the ASK signal transitions from the “high” voltage to the“low” voltage and vice versa. Thus, the voltage or current signal to besensed by the demodulation circuit 70 will have some slope or rate ofchange in voltage when transitioning. By configuring the demodulationcircuit 70 to determine when said slope meets, overshoots and/orundershoots such rise and fall thresholds, established based on theknown maximum/minimum slope of the carrier signal at the operatingfrequency, the demodulation circuit can accurately detect rising andfalling edges of the ASK signal.

Thus, a relatively inexpensive and/or simplified circuit may be utilizedto at least partially decode ASK signals down to notifications or alertsfor rising and falling slope instances. As long as the transmissioncontroller 28 is programmed to understand the coding schema of the ASKmodulation, the transmission controller 28 will expend far lesscomputational resources than would have been needed to decode theleading and falling edges directly from an input current or voltagesense signal from the sensing system 50. To that end, as thecomputational resources required by the transmission controller 28 todecode the wireless data signals are significantly decreased due to theinclusion of the demodulation circuit 70, the demodulation circuit 70may significantly reduce BOM of the wireless transmission system 20, byallowing usage of cheaper, less computationally capable processor(s) foror with the transmission controller 28.

The demodulation circuit 70 may be particularly useful in reducing thecomputational burden for decoding data signals, at the transmittercontroller 28, when the ASK wireless data signals are encoded/decodedutilizing a pulse-width encoded ASK signals, in-band of the wirelesspower signals. A pulse-width encoded ASK signal is a signal wherein thedata is encoded as a percentage of a period of a signal. For example, atwo-bit pulse width encoded signal may encode a start bit as 20% of aperiod between high edges of the signal, encode “1” as 40% of a periodbetween high edges of the signal, and encode “0” as 60% of a periodbetween high edges of the signal, to generate a binary encoding formatin the pulse width encoding scheme.

Thus, as the pulse width encoding relies solely on monitoring rising andfalling edges of the ASK signal, the periods between rising times neednot be constant and the data signals may be asynchronous or “unclocked.”Examples of pulse width encoding and systems and methods to perform suchpulse width encoding are explained in greater detail in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/735,342 titled “Systems and Methods for WirelessPower Transfer Including Pulse Width Encoded Data Communications,” toMichael Katz, which is commonly owned by the owner of the instantapplication and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, forall that it teaches without exclusion of any part thereof.

As noted above, slope detection, and hence in-band transfer of data, maybecome ineffective or inefficient when the signal strength varies fromthe parameters relied upon during design. For example, when the relativepositions of the data sender and data receiver vary significantly duringuse of the system, the electromagnetic coupling between sender andreceiver coils or antennas will also vary. Data detection and decodingare optimized for a particular coupling may fail or underperform atother couplings. As such, a high sensitivity non-saturating detectionsystem is needed to allow the system to operate in environments whereincoupling changes dynamically.

For example, referring to FIGS. 7 , the signal created by the high passfilter 71 of the slope detector 72, prior to being amplified by OP_(SD),will vary as a result of varying coupling (as will the power signal,but, for the purposes of the discussion of in-band data, it has now beenfiltered out at this point). Thus, the difference in magnitude of theamplified signals will vary by even more. At the upper end,substantially improved coupling may cause saturation of OP_(SD), at saidupper end, if the system is tuned for small signal detection. Similarly,substantially degraded coupling may result in an undetectable signal ifthe system is tuned for high, good, and/or fair coupling. Moreover, apre-amp signal with a positive offset may result in clipped (e.g.,saturated) positive signals, post-amplification, unless gain is reduced;however, the reduced gain may in turn render negative signalsundetectable. Additionally, a varying load at the receiver may affectthe signal, necessitating the amplification of the data signal at theslope detector 72.

As such, instability in coupling is generally not well-tolerated byinductive charging systems, since it causes the filtered and amplifiedsignal to vary too greatly. For example, a phone placed into a fitteddock will stay in a specific location relative to the dock, and anycoupling therebetween will remain relatively constant. However, a phoneplaced on a desktop with an inductive charging station under the desktopmay not maintain a fixed relative location, nor a fixed relativeorientation and, thus, the range of coupling between the transmitter andthe receiver of the phone may vary during the charging process. Further,consider a wireless power system configured for directly powering and/orcharging a medical device, while the medical device resides within ahuman body. Due to natural displacement and/or internal movement oforganic elements of the human body, the medical device may not maintainconstant location, relative to the body and/or an associated chargerpositioned outside of the body, and, thus, the transmitter and receivermay couple at a wide range of high, good, fair, low, and/or insufficientcoupling levels. Further still, consider a computer peripheral beingcharged by a charging mat on a user's desk. It may be desired to chargesaid peripheral, such as a mouse or other input device, during use ofthe device; such use of the peripheral will necessarily alter couplingduring use, as it will be moved regularly, with respect to positioningof the transmitting charging mat.

The effect caused by a difference in the coupling coefficient k can beillustrated by a few non-limiting examples. Consider a case whereink=0.041, representing fairly strong coupling. In this case, the inducedvoltage delta (V_(delta)) may be about 160 mV, with the correspondingamplified signal running between a peak of 3.15V and a nadir of 0.45V,for a swing of about 2.70V around a DC offset of 1.86V (i.e., 1.35Vabove and below the DC offset value).

Now consider a case in the same system wherein a coupling value of 0.01is exhibited, representing fairly weak coupling. This weakening couldhappen due to relative movement, intervening materials, or othercircumstance. Now V_(delta) may be about 15 mV, with the correspondingamplified signal running between a peak of 1.94V and a nadir of 1.77V,for a swing of about 140 mV around a DC offset of 1.86V (i.e., about 70mV above and below the DC offset value).

As can be seen from this example, while the strongly coupled case yieldsrobust signals, the weakly coupled case yields very small signals atop afairly large offset. While perhaps generally detectable, these signallevel present a significant risk of data errors and consequently loweredthroughput. Moreover, while there is room for increased amplification,the level of amplification, especially given the DC offset, isconstrained by the saturation level of the available economicaloperational amplifier circuits, which, in some examples may be about4.0V.

However, in an embodiment, automatic gain control in amplification iscombined with a voltage offset in slope detection to allow the system toadapt to varying degrees of coupling. This is especially helpful insituations where the physical locations of the coupled devices are nottightly constrained during coupling.

Continuing with the example of FIG. 7 , in the illustrated circuit 72,the bias voltage V′_(Bias) for slope detection is provided by a voltagedivider 77 (including linked resistors R_(B1), R_(B2), R_(B3)), whichprovides a voltage between V_(in) and ground based on a control voltageV_(HB). Given the control voltage V_(HB), the bias voltage V′_(Bias) isset by adjusting a resistance in the voltage divider. In thisconnection, one of the resistors, e.g., R_(B3), may be a variableresistor, such as a digitally adjustable potentiometer, with thespecific resistance being generated via an adaptive bias and gainprotocol to be described below, e.g., R_(bias).

Similarly, in the illustrated circuit 72, the output voltage V_(SD)provided to the next stage, comparator 74, is first amplified at a levelset by a voltage divider 80 (including linked resistors R_(A1), R_(A2),R_(A3)), based on the control voltage V_(HA) to generate V′_(SD) (slopedetection signal). The amplification of V_(SD) to generate V′_(SD)(amplified slope detection signal) is similarly set via a variablepotentiometer in the voltage divider, e.g., R_(A1), being set to aspecific value, e.g., R_(gain) generated via an adaptive bias and gainprotocol to be described later below.

With respect to the aforementioned, non-limiting example, with automaticgain and bias in slope detection, the circuit is configured toaccommodate a V_(amp slope delta) of between 400 mv and 2.2V, and aV_(amp DC) offset of between 1.8V and 2.2V. In order to determineappropriate offsets and gains, the system may employ a beaconingsequence state. The beaconing sequence ensures that the transmitter isgenerally able to detect the receiver at all possible allowed couplingpositions and orientations.

Referring still to FIGS. 7 , the slope detector 72 includes a high passfilter 71 and an optional stabilizing circuit 73. The high pass filter71 is configured to monitor for higher frequency components of the ACwireless signals and may include, at least, a filter capacitor (C_(HF))and a filter resistor (R_(HF)). The values for C_(HF) and R_(HF) areselected and/or tuned for a desired cutoff frequency for the high passfilter 71. In some examples, the cutoff frequency for the high passfilter 71 may be selected as a value greater than or equal to about 1-2kHz, to ensure adequately fast slope detection by the slope detector 72,when the operating frequency of the system 10 is on the order of MHz(e.g., an operating frequency of about 6.78 MHz). In some examples, thehigh pass filter 71 is configured such that harmonic components of thedetected slope are unfiltered. In view of the current sensor 57 of FIG.5 , the high pass filter 71 and the low pass filter 55, in combination,may function as a bandpass filter for the demodulation circuit 70.

OP_(SD) is any operational amplifier having an adequate bandwidth forproper signal response, for outputting the slope of V_(Tx), but lowenough to attenuate components of the signal that are based on theoperating frequency and/or harmonics of the operating frequency.Additionally or alternatively, OP_(SD) may be selected to have a smallinput voltage range for V_(Tx), such that OP_(SD) may avoid unnecessaryerror or clipping during large changes in voltage at V_(Tx). Further, aninput bias voltage (V_(Bias)) for OP_(SD) may be selected based onvalues that ensure OP_(SD) will not saturate under boundary conditions(e.g., steepest slopes, largest changes in V_(Tx)). It is to be noted,and is illustrated in Plot B of FIG. 8 , that when no slope is detected,the output of the slope detector 72 will be V_(Bias).

As the passive components of the slope detector 72 will set theterminals and zeroes for a transfer function of the slope detector 72,such passive components must be selected to ensure stability. To thatend, if the desired and/or available components selected for C_(HF) andR_(HF) do not adequately set the terminals and zeros for the transferfunction, additional, optional stability capacitor(s) C_(ST) may beplaced in parallel with R_(HF) and stability resistor R_(ST) may beplaced in the input path to OP_(SD).

Output of the slope detector 72 (Plot B representing V_(SD)) mayapproximate the following equation:

$V_{SD} = {{{- R_{HF}}C_{HF}\frac{dV}{dt}} + V_{Bias}}$

Thus, V_(SD) will approximate to V_(Bias), when no change in voltage(slope) is detected, and Output V_(SD) of the slope detector 72 isrepresented in Plot B. As can be seen, the value of V_(SD) approximatesV_(Bias) when no change in voltage (slope) is detected, whereas V_(SD)will output the change in voltage (dV/dt), as scaled by the high passfilter 71, when V_(Tx) rises and falls between the high voltage and thelow voltage of the ASK modulation. The output of the slope detector 72,as illustrated in Plot B, may be a pulse, showing slope of V_(Tx) riseand fall.

V_(SD) is output to the comparator circuit(s) 74, which is configured toreceive V_(SD), compare V_(SD) to a rising rate of change for thevoltage (V_(SUp)) and a falling rate of change for the voltage(V_(SLo)). If V_(SD) exceeds or meets V_(SUp), then the comparatorcircuit will determine that the change in V_(Tx) meets the risethreshold and indicates a rising edge in the ASK modulation. If V_(SD)goes below or meets V_(SLow), then the comparator circuit will determinethat the change in V_(Tx) meets the fall threshold and indicates afalling edge of the ASK modulation. It is to be noted that V_(SUp) andV_(SLo) may be selected to ensure a symmetrical triggering.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary timing diagram illustrating signal shape orwaveform at various stages or sub-circuits of the demodulation circuit70. The input signal to the demodulation circuit 70 is illustrated inFIG. 8 as Plot A, showing rising and falling edges from a “high” voltage(V_(High)) perturbation on the transmission antenna 21 to a “low”voltage (V_(Low)) perturbation on the transmission antenna 21. Thevoltage signal of Plot A may be derived from, for example, a current(I_(Tx)) sensed at the transmission antenna 21 by one or more sensors ofthe sensing system 50. Such rises and falls from V_(High) to V_(Low) maybe caused by load modulation, performed at the wireless receiversystem(s) 30, to modulate the wireless power signals to include thewireless data signals via ASK modulation. As illustrated, the voltage ofPlot A does not cleanly rise and fall when the ASK modulation isperformed; rather, a slope or slopes, indicating rate(s) of change,occur during the transitions from V_(High) to V_(Low) and vice versa.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the slope detector 72 includes a high passfilter 71, an operation amplifier (OpAmp) OP_(SD), and an optionalstabilizing circuit 73. The high pass filter 71 is configured to monitorfor higher frequency components of the AC wireless signals and mayinclude, at least, a filter capacitor (C_(HF)) and a filter resistor(R_(HF)). The values for C_(HF) and R_(HF) are selected and/or tuned fora desired cutoff frequency for the high pass filter 71. In someexamples, the cutoff frequency for the high pass filter 71 may beselected as a value greater than or equal to about 1-2 kHz, to ensureadequately fast slope detection by the slope detector 72, when theoperating frequency of the system 10 is on the order of MHz (e.g., anoperating frequency of about 6.78 MHz). In some examples, the high passfilter 71 is configured such that harmonic components of the detectedslope are unfiltered. In view of the current sensor 57 of FIG. 5 , thehigh pass filter 71 and the low pass filter 55, in combination, mayfunction as a bandpass filter for the demodulation circuit 70.

OP_(SD) is any operational amplifier having an adequate bandwidth forproper signal response, for outputting the slope of V_(Tx), but lowenough to attenuate components of the signal that are based on theoperating frequency and/or harmonics of the operating frequency.Additionally or alternatively, OP_(SD) may be selected to have a smallinput voltage range for V_(Tx), such that OP_(SD) may avoid unnecessaryerror or clipping during large changes in voltage at V_(Tx). Further, aninput bias voltage (V_(Bias)) for OP_(SD) may be selected based onvalues that ensure OP_(SD) will not saturate under boundary conditions(e.g., steepest slopes, largest changes in V_(Tx)). It is to be noted,and is illustrated in Plot B of FIG. 8 , that when no slope is detected,the output of the slope detector 72 will be V_(Bias).

As the passive components of the slope detector 72 will set theterminals and zeroes for a transfer function of the slope detector 72,such passive components must be selected to ensure stability. To thatend, if the desired and/or available components selected for C_(HF) andR_(HF) do not adequately set the terminals and zeros for the transferfunction, additional, optional stability capacitor(s) C_(ST) may beplaced in parallel with R_(HF) and stability resistor R_(ST) may beplaced in the input path to OP_(SD).

Output of the slope detector 72 (Plot B representing V_(SD)) mayapproximate the following equation:

$V_{SD} = {{{- R_{HF}}C_{HF}\frac{dV}{dt}} + V_{Bias}}$

Thus, V_(SD) will approximate to V_(Bias), when no change in voltage(slope) is detected, and output V_(SD) of the slope detector 72 isrepresented in Plot B. As can be seen, the value of V_(SD) approximatesV_(Bias) when no change in voltage (slope) is detected, whereas V_(SD)will output the change in voltage (dV/dt), as scaled by the high passfilter 71, when V_(Tx) rises and falls between the high voltage and thelow voltage of the ASK modulation. The output of the slope detector 72,as illustrated in Plot B, may be a pulse, showing slope of V_(Tx) riseand fall.

V_(SD) is output to the comparator circuit(s) 74, which is configured toreceive V_(SD), compare V_(SD) to a rising rate of change for thevoltage (V_(SUp)) and a falling rate of change for the voltage(V_(SLo)). If V_(SD) exceeds or meets V_(SUp), then the comparatorcircuit will determine that the change in V_(Tx) meets the risethreshold and indicates a rising edge in the ASK modulation. If V_(SD)goes below or meets V_(SLow), then the comparator circuit will determinethat the change in V_(Tx) meets the fall threshold and indicates afalling edge of the ASK modulation. It is to be noted that V_(SUp) andV_(SLo) may be selected to ensure a symmetrical triggering.

In some examples, such as the comparator circuit 74 illustrated in FIG.6 , the comparator circuit 74 may comprise a window comparator circuit.In such examples, the V_(SUp) and V_(SLo) may be set as a fraction ofthe power supply determined by resistor values of the comparator circuit74. In some such examples, resistor values in the comparator circuit maybe configured such that

$V_{Sup} = {V_{in}\left\lbrack \frac{R_{U2}}{R_{U1} + R_{U2}} \right\rbrack}$$V_{SLo} = {V_{in}\left\lbrack \frac{R_{L2}}{R_{L1} + R_{L2}} \right\rbrack}$

where Vin is a power supply determined by the comparator circuit 74.When V_(SD) exceeds the set limits for V_(Sup) or V_(SLo), thecomparator circuit 74 triggers and pulls the output (V_(Cout)) low.

Further, while the output of the comparator circuit 74 could be outputto the transmission controller 28 and utilized to decode the wirelessdata signals by signaling the rising and falling edges of the ASKmodulation, in some examples, the SR latch 76 may be included to addnoise reduction and/or a filtering mechanism for the slope detector 72.The SR latch 76 may be configured to latch the signal (Plot C) in asteady state to be read by the transmitter controller 28, until a resetis performed. In some examples, the SR latch 76 may perform functions oflatching the comparator signal and serve as an inverter to create anactive high alert out signal. Accordingly, the SR latch 76 may be any SRlatch known in the art configured to sequentially excite when the systemdetects a slope or other modulation excitation. As illustrated, the SRlatch 76 may include NOR gates, wherein such NOR gates may be configuredto have an adequate propagation delay for the signal. For example, theSR latch 76 may include two NOR gates (NOR_(Up), NOR_(Lo)), each NORgate operatively associated with the upper voltage output 78 of thecomparator 74 and the lower voltage output 79 of the comparator 74.

In some examples, such as those illustrated in Plot C, a reset of the SRlatch 76 is triggered when the comparator circuit 74 outputs detectionof V_(SUp) (solid plot on Plot C) and a set of the SR latch 76 istriggered when the comparator circuit 74 outputs V_(SLo) (dashed plot onPlot C). Thus, the reset of the SR latch 76 indicates a falling edge ofthe ASK modulation and the set of the SR latch 76 indicates a risingedge of the ASK modulation. Accordingly, as illustrated in Plot D, therising and falling edges, indicated by the demodulation circuit 70, areinput to the transmission controller 28 as alerts, which are decoded todetermine the received wireless data signal transmitted, via the ASKmodulation, from the wireless receiver system(s) 30.

The incoming signal V_(Tx) exemplified in the plots of FIG. 8 does notlead to excess bias or saturation because the values of V_(BIAS) andV_(G) are at appropriate levels, but the coupling environment may change(e.g., from strong to weak coupling), such that the existing V_(BIAS)and V_(G) are no longer appropriate and would no longer allow accuratesignal detection. However, automatic gain and bias routines are appliedas described herein to continually evaluate the system behavior and setV_(BIAS) and V_(G) such that accurate signal detection is providedthroughout the range of allowable coupling strengths.

Referring now to FIG. 9 , and with continued reference to FIGS. 1-4 , ablock diagram illustrating an embodiment of the power conditioningsystem 40 is illustrated. At the power conditioning system 40,electrical power is received, generally, as a DC power source, via theinput power source 12 itself or an intervening power converter,converting an AC source to a DC source (not shown). A voltage regulator46 receives the electrical power from the input power source 12 and isconfigured to provide electrical power for transmission by the antenna21 and provide electrical power for powering components of the wirelesstransmission system 21. Accordingly, the voltage regulator 46 isconfigured to convert the received electrical power into at least twoelectrical power signals, each at a proper voltage for operation of therespective downstream components: a first electrical power signal toelectrically power any components of the wireless transmission system 20and a second portion conditioned and modified for wireless transmissionto the wireless receiver system 30. As illustrated in FIG. 3 , such afirst portion is transmitted to, at least, the sensing system 50, thetransmission controller 28, and the communications system 29; however,the first portion is not limited to transmission to just thesecomponents and can be transmitted to any electrical components of thewireless transmission system 20.

The second portion of the electrical power is provided to an amplifier42 of the power conditioning system 40, which is configured to conditionthe electrical power for wireless transmission by the antenna 21. Theamplifier may function as an inverter, which receives an input DC powersignal from the voltage regulator 46 and generates an AC as output,based, at least in part, on PWM input from the transmission controlsystem 26. The amplifier 42 may be or include, for example, a powerstage invertor, such as a single field effect transistor (FET), a dualfield effect transistor power stage invertor or a quadruple field effecttransistor power stage invertor. The use of the amplifier 42 within thepower conditioning system 40 and, in turn, the wireless transmissionsystem 20 enables wireless transmission of electrical signals havingmuch greater amplitudes than if transmitted without such an amplifier.For example, the addition of the amplifier 42 may enable the wirelesstransmission system 20 to transmit electrical energy as an electricalpower signal having electrical power from about 10 mW to about 500 W. Insome examples, the amplifier 42 may be or may include one or moreclass-E power amplifiers. Class-E power amplifiers are efficiently tunedswitching power amplifiers designed for use at high frequencies (e.g.,frequencies from about 1 MHz to about 1 GHz). Generally, a single-endedclass-E amplifier employs a single-terminal switching element and atuned reactive network between the switch and an output load (e.g., theantenna 21). Class E amplifiers may achieve high efficiency at highfrequencies by only operating the switching element at points of zerocurrent (e.g., on-to-off switching) or zero voltage (off to onswitching). Such switching characteristics may minimize power lost inthe switch, even when the switching time of the device is long comparedto the frequency of operation. However, the amplifier 42 is certainlynot limited to being a class-E power amplifier and may be or may includeone or more of a class D amplifier, a class EF amplifier, an H invertoramplifier, and/or a push-pull invertor, among other amplifiers thatcould be included as part of the amplifier 42.

Turning now to FIG. 10 and with continued reference to, at least, FIGS.1 and 2 , the wireless receiver system 30 is illustrated in furtherdetail. The wireless receiver system 30 is configured to receive, atleast, electrical energy, electrical power, electromagnetic energy,and/or electrically transmittable data via near field magnetic couplingfrom the wireless transmission system 20, via the transmission antenna21. As illustrated in FIG. 9 , the wireless receiver system 30 includes,at least, the receiver antenna 31, a receiver tuning and filteringsystem 34, a power conditioning system 32, a receiver control system 36,and a voltage isolation circuit 70. The receiver tuning and filteringsystem 34 may be configured to substantially match the electricalimpedance of the wireless transmission system 20. In some examples, thereceiver tuning and filtering system 34 may be configured to dynamicallyadjust and substantially match the electrical impedance of the receiverantenna 31 to a characteristic impedance of the power generator or theload at a driving frequency of the transmission antenna 20.

As illustrated, the power conditioning system 32 includes a rectifier 33and a voltage regulator 35. In some examples, the rectifier 33 is inelectrical connection with the receiver tuning and filtering system 34.The rectifier 33 is configured to modify the received electrical energyfrom an alternating current electrical energy signal to a direct currentelectrical energy signal. In some examples, the rectifier 33 iscomprised of at least one diode. Some non-limiting exampleconfigurations for the rectifier 33 include, but are not limited toincluding, a full wave rectifier, including a center tapped full waverectifier and a full wave rectifier with filter, a half wave rectifier,including a half wave rectifier with filter, a bridge rectifier,including a bridge rectifier with filter, a split supply rectifier, asingle phase rectifier, a three phase rectifier, a voltage doubler, asynchronous voltage rectifier, a controlled rectifier, an uncontrolledrectifier, and a half controlled rectifier. As electronic devices may besensitive to voltage, additional protection of the electronic device maybe provided by clipper circuits or devices. In this respect, therectifier 33 may further include a clipper circuit or a clipper device,which is a circuit or device that removes either the positive half (tophalf), the negative half (bottom half), or both the positive and thenegative halves of an input AC signal. In other words, a clipper is acircuit or device that limits the positive amplitude, the negativeamplitude, or both the positive and the negative amplitudes of the inputAC signal.

Some non-limiting examples of a voltage regulator 35 include, but arenot limited to, including a series linear voltage regulator, a buckconvertor, a low dropout (LDO) regulator, a shunt linear voltageregulator, a step up switching voltage regulator, a step down switchingvoltage regulator, an inverter voltage regulator, a Zener controlledtransistor series voltage regulator, a charge pump regulator, and anemitter follower voltage regulator. The voltage regulator 35 may furtherinclude a voltage multiplier, which is as an electronic circuit ordevice that delivers an output voltage having an amplitude (peak value)that is two, three, or more times greater than the amplitude (peakvalue) of the input voltage. The voltage regulator 35 is in electricalconnection with the rectifier 33 and configured to adjust the amplitudeof the electrical voltage of the wirelessly received electrical energysignal, after conversion to AC by the rectifier 33. In some examples,the voltage regulator 35 may an LDO linear voltage regulator; however,other voltage regulation circuits and/or systems are contemplated. Asillustrated, the direct current electrical energy signal output by thevoltage regulator 35 is received at the load 16 of the electronic device14. In some examples, a portion of the direct current electrical powersignal may be utilized to power the receiver control system 36 and anycomponents thereof; however, it is certainly possible that the receivercontrol system 36, and any components thereof, may be powered and/orreceive signals from the load 16 (e.g., when the load 16 is a batteryand/or other power source) and/or other components of the electronicdevice 14.

The receiver control system 36 may include, but is not limited toincluding, a receiver controller 38, a communications system 39 and amemory 37. The receiver controller 38 may be any electronic controlleror computing system that includes, at least, a processor which performsoperations, executes control algorithms, stores data, retrieves data,gathers data, controls and/or provides communication with othercomponents and/or subsystems associated with the wireless receiversystem 30. The receiver controller 38 may be a single controller or mayinclude more than one controller disposed to control various functionsand/or features of the wireless receiver system 30. Functionality of thereceiver controller 38 may be implemented in hardware and/or softwareand may rely on one or more data maps relating to the operation of thewireless receiver system 30. To that end, the receiver controller 38 maybe operatively associated with the memory 37. The memory may include oneor both of internal memory, external memory, and/or remote memory (e.g.,a database and/or server operatively connected to the receivercontroller 38 via a network, such as, but not limited to, the Internet).The internal memory and/or external memory may include, but are notlimited to including, one or more of a read only memory (ROM), includingprogrammable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM or sometimes but rarely labelled EROM), electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), random access memory(RAM), including dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronousdynamic RAM (SDRAM), single data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRSDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM, DDR2, DDR3,DDR4), and graphics double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (GDDRSDRAM, GDDR2, GDDR3, GDDR4, GDDR5), a flash memory, a portable memory,and the like. Such memory media are examples of nontransitory computerreadable memory media.

Further, while particular elements of the receiver control system 36 areillustrated as subcomponents and/or circuits (e.g., the memory 37, thecommunications system 39, among other contemplated elements) of thereceiver control system 36, such components may be external of thereceiver controller 38. In some examples, the receiver controller 38 maybe and/or include one or more integrated circuits configured to includefunctional elements of one or both of the receiver controller 38 and thewireless receiver system 30, generally. As used herein, the term“integrated circuits” generally refers to a circuit in which all or someof the circuit elements are inseparably associated and electricallyinterconnected so that it is considered to be indivisible for thepurposes of construction and commerce. Such integrated circuits mayinclude, but are not limited to including, thin-film transistors,thick-film technologies, and/or hybrid integrated circuits.

In some examples, the wireless power transmission system 20 may beconfigured to transmit power over a large charge area, within which thewireless power receiver system 30 may receive said power. A “chargearea” may be an area associated with and proximate to a wireless powertransmission system 20 and/or a transmission antenna 21 and within saidarea a wireless power receiver 30 is capable of coupling with thetransmission system 20 or transmission antenna 21 at a plurality ofpoints within the charge area. To that end, it is advantageous, both forfunctionality and user experience, that the plurality of points forcoupling within a charge area include as many points as possible andwith as much of a consistent ability to couple with a receiver system30, within the given charge area. In some examples, a “large chargearea” may be a charge area wherein the X-Y axis spatial freedom iswithin an area bounded by a width (across the area, or in an “X” axisdirection) of about 150 mm to about 500 mm and bounded by a length(height of the area, or in an “Y” axis direction) of about 50 mm toabout 350 mm. While the following antennas 21 disclosed are applicableto “large area” or “large charge area” wireless power transmissionantennas, the teachings disclosed herein may also be applicable totransmission or receiver antennas having smaller or larger charge areas,then those discussed above.

It is advantageous for large area power transmitters to be designed withmaximum uniformity of power transmission in mind. Thus, it may beadvantageous to design such transmission antennas 21 with uniformityratio in mind. “Uniformity ratio,” as defined herein, refers to theratio of a maximum coupling, between a wireless transmission system 20and wireless receiver system 30, to a minimum coupling between saidsystems 20, 30, wherein said coupling values are determined by measuringor determining a coupling between the systems 20, 30 at a plurality ofpoints at which the wireless receiver system 30 and/or antenna 31 areplaced within the charge area of the transmission antenna 21. In otherwords, the uniformity ratio is a ratio between the coupling when thereceiver antenna 31 is positioned at a point, relative to thetransmission antenna 21 area, that provides the highest coupling(C_(MAX)) versus the coupling when the receiver antenna 31 is positionedat a point, relative to the charge area of the transmission antenna 21,that provides for the lowest coupling (C_(MIN)). Thus, uniformity ratiofor a charge area (U_(AREA)) may be defined as:

U _(AREA) =C _(MAX) /C _(MIN).

To that end, a perfectly uniform charge area would have a uniformityratio of 1, as C_(MAX)=C_(MIN) for a fully uniform charge area.

Further, while uniformity ratio can be enhanced by using more turns,coils, and/or other resonant bodies within an antenna, increasing suchuse of more conductive metals to maximize uniformity ratio may give riseto cost concerns, bill of material concerns, environmental concerns,and/or sustainability concerns, among other known drawbacks frominclusion of more conductive materials. To that end, the followingtransmission antennas 21 may be designed by balancing uniformity ratioconsiderations with cost, environmental, and/or sustainabilityconsiderations. In other words, the following transmission antennas 21may be configured to achieve an increased (e.g., maximized) uniformityratio, while reducing (e.g., minimizing) the use or the length ofconductive wires and/or traces.

Further, while the following antennas 21 may be embodied by PCB or flexPCB antennas, in some examples, the following antennas 21 may be wirewound antennas that eschew the use of any standard PCB substrate. Byreducing or perhaps even eliminating the use of PCB substrate, cost andor environmental concerns associated with PCB substrates may be reducedand/or eliminated.

Turning now to FIG. 11A, an embodiment for a wireless power transmissionantenna 121, which may be utilized as the transmission antenna 21 forthe wireless transmission system 20, is illustrated. The antenna 121 maybe formed from antenna molecules 123, each of which defines or includesa plurality of coil atoms. An “antenna molecule,” as defined herein,refers to an antenna coil that is formed from a continuous conductivewire and is formed (e.g., wound) to include a plurality of coil atoms. A“coil atom,” as defined herein, refers to a portion of an antennamolecule that forms a substantially shape with a loop-like footprint,whether or not said loop structure is an enclosed loop (e.g., as shownin FIG. 11D) or is a loop with one or more openings (e.g., as shown inFIG. 11C). Thus, as a metaphor based on organic structures, a pluralityof “coil atoms” combine to form an “antenna molecule,” then a pluralityof “antenna molecules” combine to form an “organism,” the “organism”being the transmission antenna 121.

A “continuous conductive wire,” as defined herein, refers to a wire ordeposition of a conductive material that begins at one point andcontinues, without signal path interruption, to a second point.Continuous conductive wires may include wound conductive wiring orwires, conductive wires or traces on a printed circuit board, conductivematerial deposited on a substrate, conductive material arranged in apattern via additive manufacturing, among other known conductorsarranged as conductive wires.

As illustrated in FIG. 11B, an example antenna molecule 123, formed ofcontinuous conductive wire 124, may begin at a beginning moleculeterminal 126 and end at an ending molecule terminal 128. The beginningand ending terminals 126, 128 may be connected to electronic componentsof the wireless transmission system 20, directly, or may be connected toanother antenna molecule 123 to receive signals for driving themolecules 123. Collectively, the driving of each of the molecules 123 ofthe antenna 121 results in driving of the antenna 121.

Alphabetic callouts, having a round endpoints indicating points on theconductive wire 124, are utilized in FIG. 11B to illustrate an examplecurrent path (also referred to as current flow) through the conductivewire 124 of the molecule 123. Point A is proximate to the beginningterminal of the conductive wire 124 and signifies an input point of thecurrent in the conductive wire 124. The current then flows to Point B,then to Point C, and to Point D; however, while the current flows fromPoint C to Point D, it does not flow again through Point B, as theconductive wire 124 is routed either underneath or over Point B and, insome examples, an insulator will be placed between the cross-over wireat Point B. From Point D, the current flows to Point E, loops towardPoint F, then upwards and rightwards towards Point G; similarly to therelationship between Points B, D, the current does not flow againthrough Point E, as the conductive wire 124 is routed either underneathor over Point E and, in some examples, an insulator will be placedbetween the cross-over of the conductive wire 124 at Point E. Then, thecurrent will flow from Point G to Point H, through Point I, and back upthrough to point J; the current does not flow again through Point H, asthe conductive wire 124 is routed either underneath or over Point H and,in some examples, an insulator will be placed between the cross-overwire at Point H. Then, from Point J, the current flows to Point K andthen through a substantially linear portion 129 positioned at the bottomof the antenna molecule 124, as shown, flowing from Point K, to Point L,to Point M, to Point N, and, ultimately, from Point N to Point O, whichis positioned proximate to the ending molecule terminal 128. In someexamples, points on the substantially linear portion 129 may be routedunder or over Points C, F, and I, wherein an insulator may be placedbetween Points C, F, and I and the substantially linear portion 129. Insome alternative examples, the substantially linear portion 129 may bepositioned with a gap between it and Points C, F, and I. Such a gap isconfigured to provide sufficient spacing between the Points C, F, and Iand the substantially linear portion 129, so they do not intersect.

Based on the formation of the molecule 123 of FIG. 11B, as described,the molecule 123 may be segmented into enclosed or non-enclosed coilatoms 125. The first coil atom 125A is a source coil atom, whichincludes the beginning and ending terminals 126, 128 and is wherecurrent enters and exits the antenna molecule 125 (shown separately inFIG. 11C). One or more connected coil atoms 125B-N, for any “N” numberof coil atoms 125 (shown separately in FIG. 11D), are in electricalconnection with both the source coil atom 125A and/or one or more othercoil atoms 125B-N, as they are all part of the continuous conductivewire 124.

Returning now back to FIG. 11A, as illustrated, each of the antennamolecules 123A-N partially overlap with at least one other antennamolecule 123A-N. Further, as configured in the formation of theconductive wires 124, each of the coil atoms 125 partially overlap withanother of the coil atoms 125. Each of the overlaps between respectiveantenna molecules 123 and each of the overlaps between respective coilatoms 125 may be configured to properly position portions of theconductive wires 124 for achieving an improved uniformity ratio, giventhe amount of conductive materials of the conductive wire 124. Forexample, molecule overlaps 141A and 141B may be configured to maintainor improve uniformity in a vertical direction (e.g., uniformity isoptimized for a receiver antenna 31 moving vertically with respect tothe transmission antenna 121). Additionally or alternatively, atomoverlaps 143A, 143B, 143N may be configured to maintain or improveuniformity in a horizontal direction (e.g., uniformity is optimized fora receiver antenna 31 moving horizontally with respect to thetransmission antenna 121).

As illustrated, the antenna molecules 123 of FIGS. 11A-D are “linearlyarranged” antenna molecules 123, which, as defined herein, means thatthe coil atoms 125 of the antenna molecules 123 are arrangedsubstantially linearly from coil atom 125A to coil 125N. In somelinearly arranged antenna molecules 123, a substantially linear portion129 of the continuous conductive wire 124 spans from the source coilatom 125N to the last connected coil atom 125A in the substantiallylinear arrangement.

Another example of a transmitter antenna 221, which also has antennamolecules 223 that each have substantially linearly arranged coil atoms225, is illustrated in FIG. 12A. The transmission antenna 221 may beutilized with the wireless transmission system 20 as the transmissionantenna 21.

As illustrated in FIG. 12B, an example antenna molecules 223, formed ofa continuous conductive wire 224, may begin at a beginning moleculeterminal 226 and end at an ending molecule terminal 228. The beginningand ending terminals 226, 228 may be connected to electronic componentsof the wireless transmission system 20, directly, or may be connected toanother antenna molecule 223 to receive signals for driving themolecules 223. Collectively, the driving of each of the molecules 223results in driving of the antenna 221.

Each of the coil atoms 225 of the antenna molecule 223 includes, atleast, an inner turn 251 and an outer turn 253; however, the coil atoms225 may include additional turns (not illustrated). Alphabetic callouts,having round endpoints indicating points on the conductive wire 224, areutilized in FIG. 12B to illustrate an example current path (alsoreferred to as current flow) through the conductive wire 224 of themolecule 223. Point A is proximate to the beginning terminal of theconductive wire 224 and signifies an input point of the current in theconductive wire 224. The current then flows through and around the innerturn 251A of the source coil atom 251A in a clockwise direction and thenflows into the outer turn 253A of the source coil atom 225A. The currentthen flows from Point B through the outer turn 253A to Point C and thendown to Point D, which resides proximate to a pivot 252B, whichrepresents a pivot point in the conductive wire 224, wherein the currentflow pivots from a portion of the outer turn of the source coil atom225A to the inner turn of a second coil atom 225B. The current thenflows through the entire inner turn 251B of the second coil atom 225B ina clockwise direction and then to Point E, wherein the current thenflows to a portion of the outer turn 253B of the second coil atom 225B.The current continues to flow through the outer turn 253B to point F;however, while the current flows from Point E to Point F, it does notflow again through Point C, as the conductive wire 124 is routed eitherunderneath or over Point C and, in some examples, an insulator will beplaced between the cross-over wire at Point C. The current then flowsfrom Point F to Point G, then from Point G to Point H, wherein thecurrent pivots from the outer turn 253B to an inner turn 251C of a thirdcoil atom 225C. The current then flows from Point H to Point L in asimilar path to the current flow from Point D to Point H, but forflowing from the inner turn 251C (Point H) of the third coil atom 225Cto the inner turn 251D (Point L) of the fourth coil atom 225D.Similarly, the current then flows from Point L to Point P in a similarpath to the current flow from Point D to Point H, but for flowing fromthe inner turn 251D (Point L) of the fourth coil atom 225D to the innerturn 251E (Point P) of the fifth coil atom 225E. Then, the current flowsfrom point P to point T in a similar path to the current flow from PointD to Point H, but for flowing from the inner turn 251E (Point P) of thefifth coil atom 225E to the inner turn 251E (Point T) of the n-th coilatom 225N.

At Point T, the current then flows through the inner turn 251N in aclockwise direction and then from Point U, to Point V, then to Point W,which follows a majority portion of the outer turn 253N. Then, thecurrent flows from Point W to Point X, through a substantially linearportion 229 positioned at the bottom of the antenna molecule 223, asshown. Then, the current flows to point Y, which is positioned proximateto the ending molecule terminal 228.

The substantially linear portion may be considered to form a portion ofeach outer turn 253A-N of each of the coil atoms 225A-N. As illustrated,the substantially linear portion 229 may be positioned with a gapbetween it and other portions of outer turns 253 of the conductive wire224. Such a gap is configured to provide sufficient spacing between thesubstantially linear portion 229 and other portions of outer turns 253.Such a configuration of the substantially linear portion 229 may reduceor eliminate the need for placement of insulators between portions ofthe continuous conductive wire 224, which may aid in manufacturabilityof the antenna 221.

The first coil atom 225A is a source coil atom, which includes thebeginning and ending terminals 226, 228 and is where current enters andexits the antenna molecule 223 (shown separately in FIG. 12C). One ormore connected coil atoms 225B-N, for any “N” number of coil atoms 225(shown separately in FIG. 12D), are in electrical connection with boththe source soil atom 225A and/or one or more other coil atoms 225B-N, asthey are all part of the continuous conductive wire 224.

Molecule-based, large charge area transmission antennas, such as thoseof FIGS. 11-12 and 13-14 , below, are particularly beneficial inlowering complexity of manufacturing, as the number of cable cross-oversis significantly limited. Further, modularity of design for a given sizeis provided, as the number of antenna molecules can be easily changedduring the design process.

Turning now to FIGS. 13A-13C, another antenna 321 that utilizes antennamolecules 323 is illustrated. In contrast to the linearly arrangedantenna molecules of the antennas 121, 221, the antenna molecules 323 ofantenna 321 each have a “puzzled configuration.” A “puzzledconfiguration” for an antenna molecule, as defined herein, refers to anantenna molecule having a plurality of coil atoms and wherein each coilatom is positioned substantially diagonally opposite of at least oneother coil atom of the same antenna molecule. As illustrated in FIGS.13A-C, a first puzzled antenna molecule 323A is illustrated with solidlines, whereas a second puzzled antenna molecule 323B is illustratedwith dashed lines. As seen in FIGS. 13B and 13C, the coil atoms 325 of agiven puzzled antenna molecule 323 are arranged diagonally opposite ofone another, meaning that, for example, a second coil atom 325B ispositioned diagonally downward and to the right of a first coil atom325A. In some examples, a coil atom 325A is arranged such that anothercoil atom 325 (e.g., coil atom 325D) of a different antenna molecule323B will “fit” or fill a void to its right and above another coil atom325B of the antenna molecule 323A and, similarly, a second coil atom325B is arranged such that another coil atom 325 (e.g., coil atom 325C)of the different antenna molecule 323B will “fit” or fill a void to itsleft and below the coil atom 325A of the antenna molecule 323A. In thisway, the antenna molecules 323 are “puzzled” such that when they areoverlain they combine to form the full transmission antenna 321.

Referring now to FIG. 13B, the current flow through the first antennamolecule 323A is illustrated via the alphabetical points A-D. Thecurrent flow through a puzzled antenna molecule 323A, comprised of acontinuous conductive wire 324A, begins at Point A, where the currententers the antenna molecule 323A at a source terminal 326A of theantenna molecule 323A, flows through a portion of the first coil atom325A to Point B, then flows through the entirety of second coil atom325B to Point C, then flows through the remainder of the first coil atom325A to the ending terminal 328A at Point D. The current flow throughthe second antenna molecule 323B, comprised of second continuousconductive wire 324B, is illustrated in FIG. 13C and follows asubstantially similar path to that of the first antenna molecule 323A(albeit accounting for the inverted arrangement of the two coil atoms325), wherein the current flow begins at Point A, where the currententers the antenna molecule 323B at a source terminal 326B of theantenna molecule 323B, flows through a portion of a third coil atom 325Cto Point B, then flows through the entirety of fourth coil atom 325D toPoint C, then flows through the remainder of the third coil atom 325C tothe ending terminal 328B at Point D.

FIG. 14A illustrates another example of an antenna 421, that may be usedas the transmission antenna 21, which includes first and secondpluralities of puzzled antenna molecules 423. Similarly to the antenna321 of FIGS. 13 , each of the first plurality of puzzled antennamolecules 423 (e.g., antenna molecules 423A, 423C, 423E) are illustratedwith solid lines, while each of the second plurality of puzzled antennamolecules 423 (e.g., antenna molecules 423B, 423D, 423N) are illustratedwith dashed lines. While six antenna molecules 423 are illustrated, theantenna 421 may include any number “N” of antenna molecules 423.Additionally, while illustrated as two-turn antenna molecules 423 whereeach antenna molecule 423 has an inner turn and an outer turn, antennamolecules for the antenna 423 may include any number of turns, whereinthe current path of said turns follows a similar current path as thepath through the two turns, discussed below.

As illustrated in FIGS. 14B, 14C, each coil atom 425 of each antennamolecule 423 includes, at least, an innermost turn 451 and an outermostturn 453. Further, each of the antenna molecule 423 are comprised of acontinuous conductive wire 424.

Referring to FIG. 14B, a current flow through a first example antennamolecule 423A having a continuous conductive wire 424A is exemplifiedvia the alphabetic series of points A-I. The current enters the antennamolecule 423A at a source terminal 426 (Point A) and flows through aportion of the outermost turns 453A-E of coil atoms 453A-E to Point B,then flows through the entirety of the outermost turn of coil atom 425Fto Point C, then flows through the remainder of the outermost turn 453Eof coil atom 425E, to the remainder of the outermost turn 453D of coilatom 425D, to the remainder of the outermost turn 453C of coil atom425D, to the remainder of the outermost turn 453B of coil atom 425B, andto the remainder of the outermost turn 453A of coil atom 425A (Point D).Then, from Point D to Point E, the continuous conductive wire 424Acontinues to form the innermost turns 451 of the coil atoms 425 and thecurrent will then flow from Point E, through a portion of each of theinnermost turns 451A-E of each of the coil atoms 425A-E, to Point F.Then, the current will flow from Point F, through the entirety of theinnermost turn 451F of coil atom 425F, to Point G. Then, from Point G toPoint H, the current will flow through the remainder of each of coilatoms 451A-E, going from innermost turn 451E, to innermost turn 451D, toinnermost turn 451C, to innermost turn 451B, to innermost turn 451A, andending at the ending terminal 428, at Point I.

The current flow through a second example antenna molecule 423B having acontinuous conductive wire 424B of the is illustrated in FIG. 14C andfollows a substantially similar current path to that of FIG. 14B anddiscussed above; the antenna molecule 423B is merely inverted, withrespect to the first antenna molecule 423A, such that when overlain theyform two rows of coil atoms 425 and six columns of coil atoms 425.

By forming the antenna molecules as puzzled antenna molecules 423,crossovers of each module's conductive wire 424 are significantlylimited; for example, as illustrated in FIG. 14B, the wire 424A onlycrosses over itself at one point, between Points H and I, in theentirety of the antenna molecule 423A. Eliminating and/or reducingcrossover points aids in speeding up production or manufacture ofantenna molecules 423, reduces cost needed for insulators placed betweenportions of wire at the crossover points, and, thus, may reduce cost ofproduction for the antenna 421.

Returning back to FIG. 14A, after each of the puzzled antenna molecules423 are produced, the first plurality (solid lines) and second plurality(dashed lines) are overlain to form the rows of coil atoms 425 andcolumns of coil atoms 425, as illustrated. As the puzzled antennamolecules 423 may partially overlap, an insulator (not shown) may bepositioned between intersecting points of an antenna molecule 423 withanother or an entire insulating layer may be placed between pluralitiesof antenna molecules 423. As illustrated, two antenna molecules 423 mayoverlap by an overlap gap 441, which may be configured to increase (andperhaps maximize) uniformity ratio in the antenna 421.

Turning now to FIG. 15A, a block diagram for illustrating electricalconnections for an antenna 521, which may be utilized as thetransmission antenna 21 and includes a plurality of antenna molecules(e.g., any of antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, and/or 423), isillustrated. The block diagram of FIG. 15A illustrates an electricalconnection from one or more electrical components 120 of the wirelesstransmission system 20 to the antenna 521, 21 and illustrates electricalconnections amongst the antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423 of theantenna 521, each of which may take the form of any of the antennamolecules disclosed herein, such as the antenna molecules 123, 223, 323,423, discussed above.

The antenna 521 includes the antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423 and asource antenna coil 529. The source antenna coil 529 may be any coil,disposed on a PCB or wound from wire, that receives electrical signalsdirectly via physical (or wired) electrical connection to one or morecomponents 120 of the wireless transmission system 20. As illustrated,each of the antenna molecules are electrically connected to one anotherin electrical parallel. However, the antenna molecules are not inphysical (or wired) electrical connection with either the one or morecomponents 120 nor the source coil 529; rather, the antenna moleculesare configured as a repeater for wireless power transmission, whereinthe antenna molecules receive wireless power signals from the sourcecoil and transmit the repeated wireless power signals based on thewireless power signals.

As defined herein, a “repeater” is an antenna or coil that is configuredto relay magnetic fields emanating between a transmission antenna (e.g.,the source coil 529) and one or both of a receiver antenna 31 and one ormore other antennas or coils (e.g., the antenna molecules of FIG. 15A),when such subsequent coils or antennas are configured as repeaters.Thus, the one or more repeater antennas (e.g., the antenna molecules ofFIG. 15A) may be configured to relay electrical energy and/or data viaNMFC from the initial transmitting antenna (e.g., the source coil 529)to a receiver antenna 31 or to another repeating antenna or coil. In oneor more embodiments, such repeating coils or antennas (e.g., the antennamolecules of FIG. 15A) comprise an inductor coil capable of resonatingat a frequency that is about the same as the resonating frequency of theinitial transmitting antenna (the source coil 529) and the receiverantenna 31. Further, it is certainly possible that an initialtransmitting antenna may transfer electrical signals and/or couple withone or more other antennas (repeaters or receivers) and transfer, atleast in part, components of the output signals or magnetic fields ofthe transmitting antenna. Such transmission may include secondary and/orstray coupling or signal transfer to multiple antennas of the system(s)10, 20, 30.

In some examples, the antenna molecules of FIG. 15A may be considered aninternal repeater to either the transmission antenna 521, 21 and/or thewireless transmission system 20, as it is contained as part of a commonsystem 20 or antenna 521, 21. An “internal repeater” as defined hereinis a repeater coil or antenna that is utilized as part of a commonantenna for a system, rather than as a repeater outside the bounds ofsuch an antenna (e.g., a peripheral antenna for extending a signaloutside the bounds of a transmission antenna 21's charge area). Forexample, a user of the wireless power transmission system 20 would notknow the difference between a system 20 with an internal repeater andone in which all coils are wired to the electrical components 120, solong as both systems are housed in an opaque mechanical housing.Internal repeaters may be beneficial for use in unitary wirelesstransmission antennas because they allow for longer wires for coils,without introducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) that areassociated with longer wires connected to a common wired signal source.Additionally or alternatively, use of internal repeaters may bebeneficial in improving metal resiliency and/or uniformity ratio for thewireless transmission antenna(s) 21.

FIG. 15B illustrates an example of the transmission antenna 521, whereinthe antenna molecules are linearly arranged antenna molecules 223,having like or similar components and/or form as those of FIGS. 11A-12D.FIG. 15C illustrates an example of the transmission antenna 521, whereinthe antenna molecules are puzzled antenna molecules 423, having like orsimilar components and/or form as those of FIGS. 14A-14C. Asillustrated, the source coil 529 may be positioned, with an insulator(not shown) preventing wired conduction between the source coil 529 andantenna molecules 223, 423, such that the source coil can transmitsignals to the antenna molecules 223, 423 to repeat to a wirelessreceiver system 30.

Utilizing the source-repeater configuration of the antenna 521 mayprovide manufacturing benefits, as a larger antenna (e.g., the molecules123, 223, 323, 423) may be manufactured at a different site or viadifferent means than the overall system 20 and/or source coil 529. Tothat end, FIG. 16 is an example flow chart for a method 570 formanufacturing a wireless transmission system 20 via utilizing thesource-repeater configuration of the antenna 521.

The method 570 begins at block 572, wherein the electrical components120 of the wireless transmission system 20 are connected to one another,for example, on a substrate such as a PCB. Then, at block 574, thesource coil 529 is manufactured. In some examples, the source antennacoil 529 is manufactured on the same substrate as the electricalcomponents 120, on a PCB associated with the electrical components 120,and/or on a PCB connectable to the electrical components 120. Thus, insome examples, manufacture of the source coil 529 at block 574 mayinclude disposing the source coil 529 on the substrate of the one ormore electrical components 120. After or during formation of the sourcecoil 529, the source coil 529 is connected to the one or more electricalcomponents 120 (block 576). Then, a first mechanical housing 560 (FIG.17 ) may be formed for housing the electrical components 120 and thesource coil 529, as illustrated in block 578. The first mechanicalhousing 560 may be configured, at least in part, with a dielectric forpreventing unwanted electrical connections or environmental degradationwith objects or environments external to the wireless transmissionsystem 20.

At block 580, the method includes forming or manufacturing the antennamolecules (e.g., molecules taking the form of any of antenna molecules123, 223, 323, and/or 423). Then, the method 570 includes forming asecond mechanical housing 565, for housing the antenna molecules. Thesecond mechanical housing 565 may be configured, at least in part, witha dielectric for preventing unwanted electrical connections orenvironmental degradation with objects or environments external to theantenna molecules.

In some examples, steps 572, 574, 576, 578 may be performed at a firstlocation 591 and steps 580, 582 may be performed at a second location592. In such examples, the methods of manufacturing the electricalcomponents 120 and/or source coil 529 may be very different from themethods of manufacturing the antenna molecules. For example, the one ormore electrical components 120 and source coil 529 may be formed via PCBfabrication and the antenna molecules may be formed via manual ormachine-based wire winding; cost or availability restraints may requirePCB fabrication and wire winding manufacturing to be performed atdifferent locations or facilities. Thus, by manufacturing at differentsites and having an easily manufacturable electrical and mechanicalconnection, via the repeater-configuration and mechanical housings 560,565, seemingly complicated logistics in manufacturing may be improved orsimplified.

In some examples, the method 570 then includes mechanically connectingthe first and second mechanical housings 560, 565 such that the sourcecoil 529 and the antenna molecules are capable of wireless electricalconnection, in the source-repeater configuration (block 584). Suchconnection may occur at a third location 595. In some examples, thethird location many be a common location to one of the first location591 or the second location 592.

FIG. 17A illustrates the mechanical housings 560, 565 combining as awireless transmission system housing 520 and FIG. 17B illustrates thehousings 560, 565 separated, prior to construction of the wirelesstransmission system housing 520. In some examples, the first housing 560includes a first mechanical feature 562, which is configured to housethe source coil 529 and allow for wireless power transmission from thesource coil 529 to the antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423. In somesuch examples, the second housing 565 includes a second mechanicalfeature 567 which is configured to allow for wireless power transmissionfrom the source coil 529 to the antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423.The first and second mechanical features 562, 567 may be configured tomate, such that connection via the mechanical features 562, 567 alignsthe source coil 529 with the antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423 fortransmission of power from the source coil 529, to the antenna molecules123, 223, 323, 423.

Turning now to FIG. 18A, a block diagram for illustrating electricalconnections for an antenna 621, which may be utilized as thetransmission antenna 21 and includes a plurality of antenna molecules(each of which may take the form of any of antenna molecules 123, 223,323, and/or 423), is illustrated. The block diagram of FIG. 18Aillustrates an electrical connection from one or more electricalcomponents 120 of the wireless transmission system 20 to the antenna621, 21 and illustrates electrical connections amongst the antennamolecules of the antenna 521, each of which may take the form of any ofthe antenna molecules disclosed herein, such as the antenna molecules123, 223, 323, 423, discussed above.

The antenna 621 includes a first antenna molecule 123A, 223A, 323A, 423Aas a source antenna molecule 123A, 223A, 323A, 423A and two or more(“N”) other antenna molecules as parallel repeater antenna molecules123B-N, 223B-N, 323B-N, 423B-N (for “N” number of antenna molecules).The source antenna molecule 123A, 223A, 323A, 423A is the antennamolecule 123, 223, 323, 423 that receives electrical signals directlyvia physical (or wired) electrical connection the one or more components120 of the wireless transmission system 20. As illustrated, each of therepeater antenna molecules 123B-N, 223B-N, 323B-N, 423B-N areelectrically connected to one another in electrical parallel. However,the antenna molecules 123B-N, 223B-N, 323B-N, 423B-N are not in physical(or wired) electrical connection with either the one or more components120 nor the source antenna molecule 123A, 223A, 323A, 423A; rather, therepeater antenna molecules 123B-N, 223B-N, 323B-N, 423B-N are configuredas a repeater for wireless power transmission, wherein the repeaterantenna molecules 123B-N, 223B-N, 323B-N, 423B-N receive wireless powersignals from the source antenna molecule 123A, 223A, 323A, 423A andtransmit the repeated wireless power signals based on the wireless powersignals.

FIG. 18B illustrates an example of the transmission antenna 621B,wherein the antenna molecules 223 are linearly arranged antennamolecules, having like or similar components and/or form as those ofFIGS. 11A-12D. FIG. 18C illustrates an example of the transmissionantenna 621B, wherein the antenna molecules 423 are puzzled antennamolecules, having like or similar components and/or form as those ofFIGS. 13A-14C. As illustrated, the source antenna molecule 223A, 423Amay be positioned, with an insulator (not shown) preventing wiredconduction between the source antenna molecule 223A, 423A and repeaterantenna molecules 223B-N, 423B-N, such that the source antenna molecule223A, 423A can transmit signals to the repeater antenna molecules223B-N, 423B-N to repeat to a wireless receiver system 30.

Utilizing the source-repeater configuration of the antenna 621 mayprovide manufacturing benefits, as a larger antenna (e.g., the molecules123B-N, 223B-N, 323B-N, 423B-N) may be manufactured at a different siteor via different means than the overall system 20 and/or the sourceantenna molecule 123A, 223A, 323A, 423A.

FIG. 19A, a block diagram for illustrating electrical connections for anantenna 721, which may be utilized as the transmission antenna 21 andincludes a plurality of antenna molecules, is illustrated. The blockdiagram of FIG. 19A illustrates an electrical connection from one ormore electrical components 120 of the wireless transmission system 20 tothe antenna 721, 21 and illustrates electrical connections amongst theantenna molecules of the antenna 721, each of which may take the form ofany of the antenna molecules disclosed herein, such as the antennamolecules 123, 223, 323, 423, discussed above.

A source antenna molecule 123A, 223A, 323A, 423A is directlyelectrically connected to the one or more components 120 and each otherconnected antenna molecule 123B-N, 223B-N, 323B-N, 423B-N are connectedin series electrical connection. In some examples, one or more tuningcapacitors 723A are connected, in series, between pairs of antennamolecules 123A-N, 223A-N, 323A-N, 423A-N, as illustrated in FIG. 19A.The tuning capacitors 723 may be utilized for any tuning application forthe antenna 721 such as, but not limited to, maintaining phase balanceamongst the antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423.

As illustrated in FIG. 19B, the series connection configuration of FIG.19A may be utilized in connecting a plurality of linearly arrangedantenna molecules 223. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 19C, the seriesconnection configuration of FIG. 19A may be utilized in connecting aplurality of puzzled antenna molecules 423. The series connectionconfigurations of FIG. 19 may provide for one or more of greater mutualinductance magnitude throughout the antenna 721, may provide forincreased metal resiliency for the antenna 721, among other benefits ofa series connection configuration.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart for a method 800 for manufacturing any of theantennas 121, 221, 321, 421, 521, 621, 721 that include two or moreantenna molecules (each of which may take the form of any of antennamolecules 123, 223, 323, 423). The method begins at block 802, wherein afirst plurality of antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423 are disposed ona first surface, wherein the first surface comprises, at least, a firstdielectric material. A dielectric material may be any material that willinsulate the first plurality of antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423from electrical connection with a conductor placed proximate to thefirst surface. The first dielectric material may be, for example, apolyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet, commonly used for electricalinsulation for conductors. In some examples, the first plurality ofantenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423 may be disposed within or betweenportions of the first dielectric material, such that the firstdielectric material covers all sides of the antenna molecules 123, 223,323, 423. In some examples, the first plurality of antenna molecules aredisposed by winding the continuous conductive wire 124, 224, 324, 424 ofeach antenna molecule 123, 223, 323, 423 in the first pluralityproximate to, upon, or within the first surface. Such winding of thecontinuous conductive wires 124, 224, 324, 424 may be performed by amaterials deposition machine, by additive manufacturing, by manual wirewinding by a technician, via chemical etching, via lamination processes,or any combinations thereof.

At block 804, the method includes disposing a second plurality ofantenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423 on a second surface, whichcomprises, at least, a second dielectric material. The dielectricmaterial may be, for example, a PET sheet, commonly used for electricalinsulation for conductors. In some examples, the second plurality ofantenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423 may be disposed within or betweenportions of the first dielectric material, such that the firstdielectric material covers all sides of the antenna molecules 123, 223,323, 423. In some examples, the second plurality of antenna molecules123, 223, 323, 423 may be disposed within or between portions of thesecond dielectric material, such that the second dielectric materialcovers all sides of the antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423. In someexamples, the second plurality of antenna molecules are disposed bywinding second continuous conductive wires 124, 224, 324, 424 proximateto, upon, or within the second surface. Such winding of the continuousconductive wire(s) 124, 224, 324, 424 may be performed by a materialsdeposition machine, by additive manufacturing, by manual wire winding bya technician, via chemical etching, via lamination processes, or anycombinations thereof.

With both pluralities of antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423 formed onthe first and second surfaces, the method then continues to block 806,wherein the first and second surfaces are positioned such that at leastsome of the first and/or second dielectric material is positionedbetween the first plurality of antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423 andthe second plurality of antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423. Suchpositioning may cause each member of the first plurality of antennamolecules 123, 223, 323, 423 to partially overlap with at least one ofthe second plurality of antenna molecules 123, 223, 323, 423, and viceversa. Such positioning of block 806 may then be secured by attaching oraffixing the first and second surfaces to one another, to ultimatelyform an antenna 121, 221, 321, 421, 521, 621, 721.

Turning now to FIGS. 21A-D, portions of an antenna 821, which may beconstructed or include features of any of the antennas 121, 221, 321,421, 521, 621, 721 and have any of the antenna molecules 123, 223, 323,423, at various stages of the method 800 are illustrated. While theillustrations of FIGS. 21A-D include antenna molecules having asubstantially linearly arranged, like those of FIGS. 12A-D, the method800 is certainly not limited to the manufacture of antennas havinglinearly configured molecules and may include manufacture of antennaswith other forms of linearly configured molecules and/or puzzled antennamolecules.

Beginning with FIG. 21A, a first plurality 811 of antenna molecules 123,223, 323, 423 is illustrated as disposed on a first surface 815, whichcomprises a dielectric material, as discussed above; thus, FIG. 21Aillustrates an example result of block 802 of the method 800. FIG. 21Billustrates a second plurality 812 of antenna molecules 123, 223, 323,423 disposed on a second surface 816, which comprises a seconddielectric material, as discussed above; thereby illustrating an exampleresult of block 804 of the method 800. FIG. 21C illustrates an explodedview of positioning of the first surface 815, relative of the secondsurface 816, such that when the surfaces 815, 816 are proximate, thefirst and second pluralities 811, 812 of antenna molecules 123, 223,323, 423 will, at least partially, overlap (block 806). FIG. 21Dillustrates the first and second surfaces 815, 816 affixed to oneanother and shows the overlapping pluralities 811, 812 and, thus,results in the formation of the antenna 821 (block 808).

The method 800 may be beneficial in the manufacturing of molecule-basedtransmission antennas, as a manufacturer may be able to avoid theintricacy of placing small insulators between overlapping, consecutiveantenna molecules and/or coil atoms thereof. By utilizing a sheet ofinsulator, rather than small insulators, manufacturing time may besignificantly decreased, and manufacturing complexity may be drasticallyreduced. Such a method may enable fast, efficient, mass production ofantennas.

Turning now to FIG. 22A, another example of a wireless powertransmission antenna 921A, for transmitting wireless power to a receiversystem 30 over a large charge area, is illustrated. The antenna 921A maybe utilized as the transmission antenna 21 in any of the aforementionedwireless transmission systems 20. The transmission antenna(s) 925include multiple transmission coils 925, wherein at least onetransmission coil is a source coil 925A and at least one transmissioncoil 925 is an internal repeater coil 925B. The source coil 925A iscomprised of a first continuous conductive wire 924A and includes afirst outer turn 953A and a first inner turn 951A. While illustratedwith only one first outer turn 953A and one first inner turn 951A, it iscertainly contemplated that the antenna 921A may include multiple outerturns 953A and inner turns 951A. The source coil 925A is configured toconnect to one or more electronic components 120 of the wirelesstransmission system 20. The first conductive wire begins at a firstsource terminal 926, which leads to or is part of the beginning of thefirst outer turn 951A, and ends at a second source terminal, which isassociated or is part of the ending 928 of the first inner turn 951A.

The internal repeater coil 925B may take a similar shape to that of thesource coil 925A, but is not directly, electrically connected to the oneor more electrical components 120 of the wireless transmission system20. Rather, the internal repeater coil 925B is a repeater configured tohave a repeater current induced in it by the source coil 925A.

Configuration of the inner turns 951 and outer turns 953, with respectto one another, of the coils 925 is designed for controlling a directionof current flow through each of the coils 925. Current flow direction isillustrated by the dotted lines in FIG. 22A. As illustrated, the currentmay enter the source coil 925A, from the one or more electricalcomponents 120, at the first source terminal at the beginning of thefirst outer turn 953A and then flow through the first outer turn in afirst source coil direction. Said source coil direction may be, forexample, a clockwise direction, as illustrated. Then, at the end of thefirst outer turn 953A, where the first outer turn 953A turns into thefirst inner turn 951A, the current will change directions to a secondsource direction, which is substantially opposite of the first sourcedirection. In some examples and as illustrated, the second sourcedirection may be a counter-clockwise direction, which is substantiallyopposite of the clockwise direction of the current flow through thefirst outer turn 953A.

The internal repeater coil 925B is configured such that a current isinduced in it by the source coil 925A and direction(s) of the currentinduced in the internal repeater coil 925B is/are illustrated by thedotted lines in FIG. 22A. The induced current of the internal repeatercoil 925B may have a first repeater direction, flowing through thesecond outer turn 953B of the internal repeater coil 925B. The firstrepeater direction may be, for example and as illustrated, acounter-clockwise direction. Then, at the end of the second outer turn953B, where the second outer turn 953B turns into the second inner turn951B, the current will change directions to a second repeater direction,which is substantially opposite of the first repeater direction, In someexamples and as illustrated, the second source direction may be aclockwise direction, which is substantially opposite of thecounter-clockwise direction of the current flow through the second outerturn 953B.

As illustrated and described, the first repeater direction(counter-clockwise) may be substantially opposite of the first sourcedirection (clockwise). Thus, as one views the antenna 921 both fromleft-to-right and from top-to-bottom, the current direction reversesfrom turn to turn. By reversing current directions from turn-to-turnboth laterally (side to side) and from top-to-bottom, optimal fielduniformity may be maintained. By reversing current directions amongstinner and outer turns 951, 953, both laterally and top-to-bottom, areceiver antenna 31 travelling across the charge area of the antenna 921will more often be positioned more closer-to-perpendicular with themagnetic field emanating from the antenna 921. Thus, as a receiverantenna 31 will best couple with the transmission antenna 921 at pointsof perpendicularity with the magnetic field, the charge area generatedby the antenna 921 will have greater uniformity than if all of the turns951, 953 carried the current in a common direction.

As illustrated, the source coil 925A and the internal repeater coil 925Bmay be configured to be housed in a common, unitary housing 960. Byutilizing the internal repeater coil 925B, rather than one larger sourcecoil, EMI benefits may be seen, as a shorter wire connected to thesource may reduce EMI issues. Additionally, by utilizing the internalrepeater coil 925B, the aforementioned reversals of current directionmay be better achieved, which enhances uniformity and metal resiliencein the transmission antenna 921.

In some examples, while the internal repeater coil 925B may be a“passive” inductor (e.g., not connected directly, by wired means, to apower source), it still may be connected to one or more components of arepeater tuning system 923A. The repeater tuning system 923A may includeone or more components, such as a tuning capacitor, configured to tunethe internal repeater coil 925B to operate at an operating frequencysimilar to that of the source coil 925A and/or any receiver antenna(s)31, to which the repeater coil 925B intends to transfer wireless power.The repeater tuning system 923A may be positioned, in a signal path ofthe internal repeater coil 925B, connecting the beginning of the secondouter turn 953B and the ending of the second inner turn 951B, asillustrated.

One or more of the source coil 925A, the internal repeater coil 925B,and combinations thereof may form or combine to form a substantiallyrectangular shape, as illustrated. In some examples, such substantiallyrectangular shape(s) of one or more of the source coil 925A, theinternal repeater coil 925B, and combinations thereof may additionallyhave rounded edges, as illustrated in FIG. 22A. In some such examples,shape of the coils 925A, 925B may both be oriented in a “column” typerectangular formation, wherein, when viewed in a top view perspective,the coils 925A,B are arranged from top to bottom in a singular row.Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 22B and including like and/orsimilar elements to those of FIG. 22A as indicated by like referencenumbers, the coils 925C, D of FIG. 22B may be arranged in a “row” typeformation, where the coils 925C, D are arranged next to one another in a“side-to-side” lateral fashion. Any of the subsequently discussedantennas 921 having a source-internal repeater configuration may haveeither a “row formation” or a “column formation.”

FIG. 22C is another example of a transmission antenna 921C that has asource-internal repeater configuration, similar to those of FIGS. 22A,22B and, thus, including like or similar elements to those of 22A, 22B,which share common reference numbers and descriptions herein. Theantenna 921C includes a repeater tuning system 923B, which isfunctionally equivalent to the repeater tuning system 923A of FIGS. 22A,22B, but is disposed within the bounds of the inner repeater coil 925B.For example, the repeater tuning system 923B may be disposed on asubstrate 962 that is independent of the one or more electricalcomponents 120 of the wireless transmission system 20. In such examples,the substrate 962 and/or the tuning system 923B absent a substrate maybe positioned radially inward of the second outer turn 953B, asillustrated in FIG. 22C. Alternatively, as illustrated in an antenna921D of FIG. 22D, which includes like or similar elements to those ofFIGS. 22A-C which share common reference numbers and descriptionsherein, the tuning system 923B may be similarly connected to the outerand inner turns 953B, 951B, but the tuning system 923B and/or theassociated substrate 962 may be positioned radially inward of the secondinner turn 951B.

In some examples wherein the repeater tuning system 923B is disposedradially inward of the second outer turn 953B, one or more capacitors ofthe repeater tuning system 923B may be interdigitated capacitors. Aninterdigitated capacitor is an element for producing capacitor-likecharacteristics by using microstrip lines, which can be disposed asconductive materials on a substrate or other surface. To that end,capacitors of the repeater tuning system 923B may be interdigitatedcapacitors disposed on the substrate 962. Additionally or alternatively,interdigitated capacitors of the repeater tuning system 923B may bedisposed on another surface, such as a dielectric surface of the housing960.

By disposing the repeater tuning system within or in close proximity tothe internal repeater coil 925B, long wires extending to a circuitboard, such as one associated with the one or more components 120, maybe omitted. By omitting such long wires, complexity of manufacture maybe reduced. Additionally or alternatively, by shortening the connectionto the tuning system 923B by keeping it close by the internal repeatercoil 925B, EMI concerns related to long connecting wires may bemitigated.

Turning now to FIG. 22E, another example of an antenna 921E isillustrated, the antenna 921E having a source-internal repeaterconfiguration, similar to those of FIGS. 22A-D and, thus, including likeor similar elements to those of 22A-D, which share common referencenumbers and descriptions herein. In contrast to the antennas 921 ofFIGS. 22A-D, the source coil 925A and the internal repeater coil 925B ofinclude, respectively, inter-turn capacitors 957A, 957B. An inter-turncapacitor may be any capacitor that is disposed in between the inner andouter turns 951, 953 of either a source coil 925A or an internalrepeater coil 925B. The inter-turn capacitors 957 may be configured tomitigate electronic field (or E-Field) emissions generated by one orboth of the antenna(s) 921 and the one or more electrical components120.

The use of inter-turn capacitors 957 in the antenna 921E may decreasesensitivity of the antenna 921E, with respect to parasitic capacitancesor capacitances outside of the scope of wireless power transfer (e.g., anatural capacitance of a human limb or body). Thus, the antenna 921E maybe less affected by such parasitic capacitances, when introduced to thefield generated by the antenna 921E, when compared to antennas 21 notincluding inner turn capacitors 957. The inner turn capacitor 957,further, may be tuned to maintain phase of the AC signals throughout therespective coils 925 and, thus, values of the inter-turn capacitors 957may be based on one or more of an operating frequency for the system(s)10, 20, 30, inductance of each turn of the coils 925, and/or length ofthe continuous conductive wire 924 of a respective coil 925. Bymaintaining phase through a coil 925 with the inter-turn capacitors 957,excess or unwanted E-field emissions may be mitigated, as there is lessvariance in voltages across a coil 925.

The inter-turn capacitors 957 may be tuned to prevent E-Field emissions,such that the wireless power transmission system 20 can properly operatewithin statutory or standards-body based guidelines. For example, theinter-turn capacitors may be tuned to reduce E-field emissions such thatthe wireless transmission system 20 is capable of proper operationswithin radiation limits defined by the International Commission onNon-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

Further still, the inter-turn capacitors 957 may be positioned withinbounds of the outer turns 953 of the coils 925, as best illustrated inan antenna 921E of FIG. 22F, which has a source-internal repeaterconfiguration, similar to those of FIGS. 22A-D and, thus, including likeor similar elements to those of 22A-E, which share common referencenumbers and descriptions herein. In some such examples, the inter turncapacitors 957 are disposed on a substrate 959 that is positionedradially inward of an outer turn 953. In some such examples, theinter-turn capacitors 957 may be interdigitated capacitors. Furtherstill, in some such examples, interdigitated inter-turn capacitors 957may be disposed on a dielectric surface of the housing 960.

FIG. 22G is another example of an antenna 921G having the source coil925A formed of the first continuous conductive wire 924A and theinternal repeater coil 925B, formed of the second continuous conductivewire 924B. The antenna 921G, when compared to the other antenna(s)921A-F, additionally includes a repeater filter circuit 929. Therepeater filter circuit 929 may be in series with the repeater tuningsystem 923A and be positioned, in the signal path of the secondcontinuous conductive wire, between a beginning of the second outer turn953B and an ending of the second inner turn 951B. The repeater filtercircuit 929 may be an LC filter circuit, of any complexity, including atleast one inductor (“L”) and at least one capacitor (“C”). In someexamples, the repeater filter circuit 929 may be configured as an EMIfilter circuit 929, configured to reduce or eliminate EMI emanating fromthe repeater coil 925B. Additionally or alternatively, the filtercircuit 929 may be used or be useful in reducing sensitivity of theinternal repeater coil 925B and/or the transmission antenna 921G itself.Thus, inclusion of the filter circuit 929 may introduce an additionalimpedance to the systems 10, 20, 30, which may further reducesensitivity to parasitic capacitances within the charge area of theantenna 921G. While not shown, it is certainly possible that the circuitcomponents repeater filter circuit 929 is positioned on a substratewithin the bounds of the second outer turn 953B, within the bounds ofthe second inner turn 951B, or on a common substrate or circuit board asthe one or more components 120 of the wireless transmission system 120.

Turning now to FIG. 22H, another antenna 921H is illustrated, having asource coil 925E and repeater coil 925F configuration and, thus,including like or similar elements to those of 22A-D, which share commonreference numbers and descriptions herein. The antenna 921G includes afirst plurality of outer turns 953E, a first plurality of inner turns951E, a second plurality of outer turns 953F, and a second plurality ofinner turns 951F. The source coil 925E is connected to the one or moreelectrical components via a first source terminal proximate to abeginning of the first plurality of outer turns 953E and a second sourceterminal proximate to an ending of the first plurality of inner turns951E. The internal repeater coil 925F may be connected to a repeatertuning system 923 via a first repeater terminal proximate to a beginningof the second plurality of outer turns 953F and a second repeaterterminal proximate to an ending of the second plurality of inner turns951F. Inter-turn capacitors may 957 be connected in between the firstplurality of outer turns 953E and the first plurality of inner turns951E and in between the second plurality of outer turns 953F and thesecond plurality of inner turns 951F In some examples, the first andsecond plurality of outer turns 953E, 953F may include about 2 turns andthe first and second plurality of inner turns 951E, 951F may includeabout 3 turns.

Turning now to FIG. 23A, a first configuration for demodulatingcommunications at one of the source-internal repeater configuredtransmission antennas 921 of FIGS. 22A-H. The configuration of FIG. 23Aillustrates the connection of the current sensor 57 to the source coil925A, which then provides the electrical information of the currentsensor to the demodulation circuit 70, as discussed in more detail abovewith respect to FIGS. 5-8 . In such examples, the current sensor 57detects the electrical information associated with AC wireless signalsat the source coil 925A, rather than at the internal repeater coil 925B.Alternatively, FIG. 23B illustrates a second configuration fordemodulating communications at one of the source-internal repeaterconfigured transmission antennas 921 of FIGS. 22A-H, but wherein thecurrent sensor 57 is connected to the internal repeater coil 925B anddetects the electrical characteristics of the AC wireless signals at theinternal repeater coil 925B.

The configurations of FIGS. 23A and 23B may be utilized to simplify partmanagement in the system 20, rather than including multiple demodulationcircuits 70 and/or sensors 57. Additionally or alternatively,experimental results may elucidate that communications are best detectedat one of the source coil 925A or the internal repeater coil 925B; thus,based on such experimental results, a designer or manufacturer of thetransmission system 20 may select between the configuration of FIG. 23Aand the configuration of FIG. 23B, based on which works best for theirspecific system.

Turning now to FIG. 24 , a third configuration for demodulatingcommunications at one of the source-internal repeater configuredtransmission antennas 921 of FIGS. 22A-H is illustrated. In theconfiguration of FIG. 24 , the wireless transmission system 20 willinclude at least two current sensors 57A, 57B and at least twodemodulation circuits 57A, 57B, each of which have like or similarcomponents and/or functions of the current sensor 57 and thedemodulation circuit 70, discussed above with respect to FIGS. 5-8 . Thefirst current sensor 57A detects the electrical information associatedwith the electrical characteristics of the AC wireless signal at thesource coil 925A and provides said electrical information to the firstdemodulation circuit 70A. The second current sensor 57B detects theelectrical information at the internal repeater coil 925B and providessaid electrical information to the second demodulation circuit 70B.Output of each of the demodulation circuits 70A, 70B may be the signalsdiscussed above with respect to FIGS. 5-8 and said signals may be summedat a summing amplifier 90. The summing amplifier 90 may be any amplifieror circuit that receives the signals from the demodulation circuits 70A,70B and sums them to output a communications signal having a peakamplitudes greater than or equal to output of either demodulationcircuit 70A, 70B alone.

By utilizing demodulation at both the source coil 925A and the internalrepeater coil 925B, the system 20 may account for dropped communicationin either coil and/or may provide for a boosted or amplifiedcommunications signal, thus providing clearer or more accuratecommunications.

In some examples, one of the communications signals output (e.g., firstand second pluralities of data alerts, as discussed above),respectively, by the demodulation circuits 70A, 70B may be out of phase,with respect to one another. If this is the case, summing of said out ofphase signals at the summing amplifier 90 may produce an inaccurate ordegraded communications signal. Thus, in some examples, a phase detector92 may be included, prior to the summing amplifier 90 to compare phaseof outputs of the demodulation circuits 70A, 70B and alter the phase ofone of the outputs of the demodulation circuits 70A, 70B, such that theoutputs of the demodulation circuits 70A, 70B are in phase.

FIGS. 25A-H illustrate embodiments and components of a metallic meshstructure that may be positioned underneath the transmission antenna 21to enhance metal resiliency of the wireless transmission system 20.“Metal resiliency,” as defined herein, refers to the ability of atransmission antenna 21 and/or a wireless transmission system 20,itself, to avoid degradation in wireless power transfer performance whena metal or metallic material is present in an environment wherein thewireless transmission system 20 operates. For example, metal resiliencymay refer to the ability of wireless transmission system 20 to maintainits inductance for power transfer, when a metallic body is presentwithin about 50 mm to about 150 mm of the transmission antenna 21.Additionally or alternatively, eddy currents generated by a metal body'spresence proximate to the transmission system 20 may degrade performancein wireless power transfer and, thus, induction of such currents are tobe avoided.

Traditionally, wireless power transfer systems have employed ferrites orother magnetic shielding materials to shield antennas from the illeffects in performance caused by metallic structures within theirproximity. However, ferrite materials may be costly and/or may have asignificant environmental impact, when included in a bill of materialsfor a wireless power transmission system. Thus, the metallic meshstructure 1000 illustrated in FIGS. 25A-H may be utilized as a more costefficient, space efficient, and/or environmentally conscious alternativeto ferrites or magnetic shielding materials.

As illustrated first in FIG. 25A, the metallic mesh structure may be anymetallic structure that is, at least partially, cut out to form ageneral mesh or separated structure, but having all portions of themetallic mesh structure connected, such that if a current or field isinduced in the metallic mesh structure 1000 it flows throughout theentire structure without break. In some examples, such as that of FIG.25A, the metallic mesh structure may have a rectangular or substantiallysquare hatching design, wherein each portion of the metallic mesh isconnected.

FIG. 25B. illustrates a top view of an example transmission antenna 21with the metallic mesh structure 1000 positioned underneath thetransmission antenna 21. As will be discussed in more detail below, thetransmission antenna 21 is not placed directly over or in physicalcontact with the metallic mesh structure 1000 but, rather, eitherspacing or an insulator is positioned between the transmission antenna21 and the metallic mesh structure 1000. The transmission antenna 21 maybe any of the aforementioned transmission antennas 21, 121, 221, 321,421, 521, 621, 721, 821, 921, discussed above.

Turning now to FIG. 25C, the metallic mesh structure 1000 andtransmission antenna 21 are illustrated, with respect to a housing thatmay encase or enclose one or both of the transmission antenna 21 and themetallic mesh structure 1000. FIG. 25D illustrates a first configurationof the transmission antenna 21, metallic mesh structure 1000, andhousing 1010, wherein the transmission antenna 21 and metallic meshstructure 1000 reside within the housing 1010 and are separated from oneanother by a mesh gap. In some examples the mesh gap may have a width1005, the width being less than 5 millimeters (mm). However, the meshgap width is not limited to being less than 5 millimeters and, in someexamples, may have a width in a range of about 5 mm to about 10 mm. Inthe example of FIG. 25D, a void 1007 of materials is positioned betweenthe transmission antenna 21 and the metallic mesh structure 1000.

The housing 1010, in whole or in part, may be comprised of a dielectricmaterial, such that any portions of the housing 1010 that may be incontact with the transmission antenna 21 and/or the metallic meshstructure 1000 do not conduct electricity. To that end, FIG. 25E isanother configuration of the metallic mesh structure 1000, housing 1010,and transmission antenna 21, wherein dielectric materials of the housing1010 are positioned between the transmission antenna 21 and the metallicmesh structure 1000. Thus, the metallic mesh structure 1000 and/or thetransmission antenna 21 may be formed within the housing 1010.

In a third example of a configuration of the metallic mesh structure1000, the housing 1010, and the transmission antenna 21, FIG. 25Fillustrates an example wherein the metallic mesh structure 1000 isdisposed on a bottom surface 1009 of the housing 1010 and dielectricmaterials of the housing 1010 are positioned between the transmissionantenna 21 and the metallic mesh structure 1000. Disposing the metallicmesh structure 1000 on an exterior of the housing 1010 may reducecomplexity of manufacture of the transmission antenna 21, as it does notneed to be layered within the structural body of the housing 1010.

FIG. 25G is a first bottom view of the housing 1010, wherein themetallic mesh structure is disposed on the bottom surface 1009 of thehousing 1010. FIG. 25H is a second bottom view of the housing 1010,wherein the metallic mesh structure is disposed on the bottom surface1009 of the housing 1010 and the metallic mesh structure is configuredto include a stylized design 1015 within the metallic mesh structure1000. The stylized design 1015 may be any design or ornamental image orpattern, such as a logo or branding, that a manufacturer of thetransmission antenna 21 or transmission system 20 wishes to include onthe product. To that end, the stylized design 1015 may be utilized inmanufacture to reduce the complexity of manufacturing, by disposing themetallic mesh structure 1000 on the exterior of the housing 1010, whileobscuring that the metallic mesh structure 1000 is a functional aspectof the system 20 or antenna 21, as it appears to a user that themetallic mesh structure 1000 with the stylized design 1015 is anaesthetic or branding aspect of the transmission system 20.

FIG. 26 illustrates an example, non-limiting embodiment of the receiverantenna 31 that may be used with any of the systems, methods, and/orapparatus disclosed herein. In the illustrated embodiment, the antenna21, 31, is a flat spiral coil configuration. Non-limiting examples canbe found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,941,743, 9,960,628, 9,941,743 all toPeralta et al.; 9,948,129, 10,063,100 to Singh et al.; U.S. Pat. No.9,941,590 to Luzinski; U.S. Pat. No. 9,960,629 to Rajagopalan et al.;and U.S. Patent App. Nos. 2017/0040107, 2017/0040105, 2017/0040688 toPeralta et al.; all of which are assigned to the assignee of the presentapplication and incorporated fully herein by reference.

In addition, the antenna 31 may be constructed having amulti-layer-multi-turn (MLMT) construction in which at least oneinsulator is positioned between a plurality of conductors. Non-limitingexamples of antennas having an MLMT construction that may beincorporated within the wireless transmission system(s) 20 and/or thewireless receiver system(s) 30 may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,610,530,8,653,927, 8,680,960, 8,692,641, 8,692,642, 8,698,590, 8,698,591,8,707,546, 8,710,948, 8,803,649, 8,823,481, 8,823,482, 8,855,786,8,898,885, 9,208,942, 9,232,893, and 9,300,046 to Singh et al., all ofwhich are assigned to the assignee of the present application areincorporated fully herein. These are merely exemplary antenna examples;however, it is contemplated that the antennas 31 may be any antennacapable of the aforementioned higher power, high frequency wirelesspower transfer.

Turning now to FIG. 27A, an example wireless power receiver antenna 131,which may be utilized as the receiver antenna 31, is illustrated in aside cross-sectional view. As illustrated, the receiver antenna 131includes a receiver coil 133A and an internal repeater 135. A top viewof an example for the receiver coil 133 is illustrated in FIG. 27C andtop views of the internal repeater coil 135 are illustrated in FIGS.27D, 27E.

The internal repeater coil 135 is provided as a passive mechanism forboosting or enhancing the power harvesting capabilities of the receivercoil 133. The receiver coil 133 is directly electrically connected toone or more electrical components 130 of the wireless receiver system30, which may include, but are not limited to including, the receivertuning system 34, the power conditioning system 32, the rectifier 33,the voltage regulator 35, the receiver control system 36, the receivercontroller 38, among other electrical components. The internal repeatercoil 135 is not directly connected to the one or more electricalcomponents 130, but rather receives wireless power signals from thewireless transmission system and transmits or repeats said signals tothe receiver coil as repeated wireless power signals. In some examples,the receiver coil 133 may receive both the wireless power signals, fromthe wireless transmission system 20, and the repeated wireless powersignals from the internal repeater coil 135; thus, the repeated wirelesspower signals may boost power harvesting or enhance wireless powersignals, when compared to receipt by the receiver coil 133, alone.

As illustrated in FIG. 27A, an insulator 132A may be positioned betweenthe receiver coil 133A and the internal repeater coil 135; thus, thecoils 133, 135 may be manufactured as a multi-layer structure, such as amulti-layer PCB or flexible PCB. The internal repeater coil 135 and thereceiver coil 133 may be separated by a repeater separation gap 138. Insome examples, the repeater separation gap may be in a range of about0.5 millimeters (mm) to about 3 mm.

In some examples, such as the example repeaters of FIGS. 27D, 27E, therepeater may be a simple one-turn coil, which affords the benefits ofthe repeater with reduced cost for manufacturing a one turn coil.Further, as illustrated, the internal repeater coil 135 may include arepeater tuning system 134, which is configured to tune the repeatercoil 135 to resonate at a similar or same operating frequency as that ofthe wireless power transmission system 20 and/or the wireless receiversystem 30. In some examples, such as the example illustrated in FIG.27E, the transmission tuning system 134 may be disposed within the turnof the internal repeater coil 135.

As illustrated in the example of the antenna 131B of FIG. 27B, therepeater coil 133B may be a multi-layer, multi-turn (MLMT) coil, likethose discussed above with respect to FIG. 26 . Such an MLMT repeatercoil 133B may include, at least, a first layer 136 and a second layer137. The layers 136, 137 may be separated by a second insulator 132B andmay be connected, in electrical parallel, at a via 138.

Turning now to FIG. 28A, a first example of a substantially polygonalreceiver antenna 231, which may be utilized as the receiver antenna 31in the system 30, is illustrated. The receiver antenna 231 includes aplurality of polygonal receiver coils 235A-C, each of the plurality ofpolygonal receiver coils individually connected to the one or morecomponents 130 of the receiver system 30. When positioned with respectto one another, each of the polygonal receiver coils 235 are positionedor disposed to form a combined polygonal shape 238, which has at leastthree sides. “Polygonal,” as defined herein, refers to the shape of acoil or antenna, wherein the coil or antenna has a finite number ofstraight line segments, which are connected to form a bounded region.

The use of multiple polygonal receiver coils 235 may be beneficial forlarge charge area power transfer, as the sum of the power received maybe greater and/or certain polygonal coil may be at a greater couplingthan another and, thus, provide greater or optimized power transfer.Utilizing polygonal coils 235 specifically arranged into a polygonalshape 238 may provide for antennas that fit into unusual or smallerspaces, when compared to more traditional circular or curved antennas.Additionally or alternatively, formation of the antennas, by eithermaterial deposition machines or etching machinery/equipment, may besimplified by using lines and angles in the turn or trace formation,rather than curves or arced traces or turns.

While the polygonal receiver coils 235 are illustrated as triangleshaving three sides, it is certainly contemplated that polygonal receivercoils may have any number of sides, greater than three, so long as whenthey are positioned to form the antenna 231, each of the coils combineto form a combined polygonal shape. In other words, each polygonal coiland the combined polygonal shape may have “n” number of turns, thusforming an “n-gon” shape. Additionally, while illustrated with polygonalcoils 235 each having a single turn, it is certainly possible that thecoils 235 of the antenna 231 have any number of additional turns.

FIG. 28B illustrates another example polygonal receiver antenna 331,which may be utilized as the receiver antenna 31 of the receiver system30. As best illustrated in FIG. 28C, polygonal receiver coils 335 of thepolygonal receiver antenna 331 include an exemplary 5 sides to form apentagon shape and are each individually connected to the one or moreelectrical components 130 of the wireless receiver system 30. As bestillustrated in FIG. 14B, a combination of three of the polygonalreceiver coils 335A-C forms a combined polygonal shape 338, which, inthis example, is a hexagon shape.

Turning now to FIGS. 28D, 28E, another example polygonal receiverantenna 431 is illustrated, which may be utilized as the receiverantenna 31 for the receiver system 30. The receiver antenna 431 is anMLMT antenna, including a first layer 433 (FIG. 28D) and a second layer434 (FIG. 28E), wherein the layers 433, 434 are connected to each otherin parallel at the terminals that connect to the one or more electricalcomponents 130. As illustrated, each multi-layered polygonal receivercoil 435A-C is an irregular octagon shape. When positioned, as shown, incombination to form the antenna 431, the coils 435 combine to form asubstantially 15-gon shape 438.

In some examples, the substantially 15-gon shape 438 may be a regularpolygon or regular 15-gon shape. A “regular polygon” shape, as definedherein, refers to a polygon that is substantially equilateral, withingiven tolerances for error, and equiangular, thus having sides ofsubstantially similar length and having angles between sides ofsubstantially similar degree. The regular 15-gon shape may have a height438 and a width 437 and, in some such examples, the height 438 and thewidth 437 may be of substantially similar magnitudes.

Turning now to FIG. 29 , an example configuration 530 for the system 30,particularly a configuration for the rectifier 33 of the system 30, isillustrated. The configuration 530 is representative of a rectifiersystem 533 that may be utilized as the rectifier 33 of the receiversystem 30, when the receiver antenna 31 is one of the multi-coilreceiver antennas 231, 331, 431; thus, the antenna 31 of FIG. 15includes a plurality of antenna coils 35A-C, as shown.

The rectifier system 533 includes a plurality of rectifiers 534A-C, eachof which are individually in electrical connection with a respectivemember of the plurality of antenna coils 35A-C. Each of the rectifiers534 may be comparable to any of the rectifiers discussed above, withrespect to the rectifier 33 of FIG. 10 . In some examples, therectifiers 534 may be full wave rectifiers. In some further examples,the rectifiers may be bridge rectifiers.

By utilizing the multiple coils 35 with multiple rectifiers 534,enhanced power harvesting is possible, as multiple coil/rectifier pairsare outputting power to the voltage regulator 35, which may sum incomingpower signals for input to the load 16.

FIG. 30 is a block diagram for another configuration 630 for the system30, particularly a configuration for a communications or demodulationcircuit(s) 639. The configuration 630 is representative of multipledemodulation circuits 639 that may be utilized for selectively dampingthe magnetic field coupling the systems 20, 30, such that the receiversystem 30 can communicate with the transmission system 20 via in-bandcommunications. For example, such in-band communications may be thepulse-width encoded communications, as discussed above.

When the receiver antenna 31 has multiple coils 35A-C, each may becoupled with a specific modulation circuit 639A-C, respectively. Each ofthe modulation circuits 639 may be configured to simultaneously modulatethe same signal in the signal path of each of the coils 35. Thus,regardless of if one or all of the coils 35 are currently coupled with atransmission antenna 21, the same communications signal will betransmitted for optimal fidelity.

In some examples, the modulation circuit may be a transistor and aresistor and the receiver controller 38 is configured to selectivelyturn the transistor on and off, thus opening a signal path to theresistor, and selectively damping the signal or field between thesystems 20, 30.

Turning now to FIG. 31 , an example mouse and mousepad are illustrated,which may integrate the systems 10, 20, 30. In the embodiment of FIG. 31, the wireless transmission system 20 is operatively associated with amouse pad 1020 and the wireless receiver system 30 is operativelyassociated with a computer mouse 1030, as the computer mouse 1030 is thehost device 14 of the wireless receiver system 14. The wireless receiversystem 30 may be configured to provide power to the load 16 of thecomputer mouse 1030. The large area transmission antennas 21 may beconfigured to generate a charge area over most or all of the operatingsurface 1022 of the mouse pad 1020 and the system 10 may be configuredto charge the mouse load 16 of the mouse 1030, when the mouse 1030 is inuse and in motion.

The automatic gain and bias control described herein may significantlyreduce the BOM for the demodulation circuit, and the wirelesstransmission system as a whole, by allowing usage of cheaper, lesscomputationally capable processor(s) for or with the transmissioncontroller. The throughput and accuracy of an edge-detection codingscheme depends in large part upon the system's ability to quickly andaccurately detect signal slope changes. These constraints may be bettermet in environments wherein the distance between, and orientations of,the sender and receiver change dynamically, or the magnitude of thereceived power signal and embedded data signal may change dynamically,via the disclosed automatic gain and bias control. This may allowreading of faint signals via appropriate gain, for example, while alsoavoiding saturation with respect to larger signals.

The systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein are designed tooperate in an efficient, stable and reliable manner to satisfy a varietyof operating and environmental conditions. The systems, methods, and/orapparatus disclosed herein are designed to operate in a wide range ofthermal and mechanical stress environments so that data and/orelectrical energy is transmitted efficiently and with minimal loss. Inaddition, the system 10 may be designed with a small form factor using afabrication technology that allows for scalability, and at a cost thatis amenable to developers and adopters. In addition, the systems,methods, and apparatus disclosed herein may be designed to operate overa wide range of frequencies to meet the requirements of a wide range ofapplications.

While illustrated as individual blocks and/or components of the wirelesstransmission system 20, one or more of the components of the wirelesstransmission system 20 may combined and/or integrated with one anotheras an integrated circuit (IC), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), among othercontemplated integrated components. To that end, one or more of thetransmission control system 26, the power conditioning system 40, thesensing system 50, the transmitter coil 21, and/or any combinationsthereof may be combined as integrated components for one or more of thewireless transmission system 20, the wireless power transfer system 10,and components thereof. Further, any operations, components, and/orfunctions discussed with respect to the wireless transmission system 20and/or components thereof may be functionally embodied by hardware,software, and/or firmware of the wireless transmission system 20.

Similarly, while illustrated as individual blocks and/or components ofthe wireless receiver system 30, one or more of the components of thewireless receiver system 30 may combined and/or integrated with oneanother as an IC, a SoC, among other contemplated integrated components.To that end, one or more of the components of the wireless receiversystem 30 and/or any combinations thereof may be combined as integratedcomponents for one or more of the wireless receiver system 30, thewireless power transfer system 10, and components thereof. Further, anyoperations, components, and/or functions discussed with respect to thewireless receiver system 30 and/or components thereof may befunctionally embodied by hardware, software, and/or firmware of thewireless receiver system 30.

In an embodiment, a ferrite shield may be incorporated within theantenna structure to improve antenna performance. Selection of theferrite shield material may be dependent on the operating frequency asthe complex magnetic permeability (μ=μ′−j*μ″) is frequency dependent.The material may be a polymer, a sintered flexible ferrite sheet, arigid shield, or a hybrid shield, wherein the hybrid shield comprises arigid portion and a flexible portion. Additionally, the magnetic shieldmay be composed of varying material compositions. Examples of materialsmay include, but are not limited to, zinc comprising ferrite materialssuch as manganese-zinc, nickel-zinc, copper-zinc, magnesium-zinc, andcombinations thereof.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series ofitems, with the term “and” or “or” to separate any of the items,modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list (i.e.,each item). The phrase “at least one of” does not require selection ofat least one of each item listed; rather, the phrase allows a meaningthat includes at least one of any one of the items, and/or at least oneof any combination of the items, and/or at least one of each of theitems. By way of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or“at least one of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C;any combination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, andC.

The predicate words “configured to”, “operable to”, and “programmed to”do not imply any particular tangible or intangible modification of asubject, but, rather, are intended to be used interchangeably. In one ormore embodiments, a processor configured to monitor and control anoperation or a component may also mean the processor being programmed tomonitor and control the operation or the processor being operable tomonitor and control the operation. Likewise, a processor configured toexecute code can be construed as a processor programmed to execute codeor operable to execute code.

A phrase such as “an aspect” does not imply that such aspect isessential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to anaspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations.An aspect may provide one or more examples of the disclosure. A phrasesuch as an “aspect” may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. Aphrase such as an “embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment isessential to the subject technology or that such embodiment applies toall configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating toan embodiment may apply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments.An embodiment may provide one or more examples of the disclosure. Aphrase such an “embodiment” may refer to one or more embodiments andvice versa. A phrase such as a “configuration” does not imply that suchconfiguration is essential to the subject technology or that suchconfiguration applies to all configurations of the subject technology. Adisclosure relating to a configuration may apply to all configurations,or one or more configurations. A configuration may provide one or moreexamples of the disclosure. A phrase such as a “configuration” may referto one or more configurations and vice versa.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” or as an “example” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Furthermore, to theextent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in thedescription or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in amanner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted whenemployed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, to the extentthat the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the descriptionor the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similarto the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as atransitional word in a claim.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure isexplicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in thecase of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “stepfor.”

Reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one andonly one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.”Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one ormore. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine andneuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. Headings andsubheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and do not limit thesubject disclosure.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of what may be claimed, but ratheras descriptions of particular implementations of the subject matter.Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in asingle embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described inthe context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multipleembodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover,although features may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more featuresfrom a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from thecombination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a sub combination.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for wireless power transfer, the systemcomprising: a wireless transmission system operatively associated with acomputer mouse, the wireless transmission system including: one or moretransmission electrical components, the one or more transmissionelectrical components including one or more of a transmission controlsystem, a transmission tuning system, a transmission power conditioningsystem, a transmission sensing system, or components thereof, and atransmission antenna, the transmission antenna configured to transmitone or both of wireless power signals and wireless data signals within alarge charge area, the large charge area having a length of in a rangeof 50 millimeters (mm) to 300 mm and a width in a range of 150 to 500mm; and a wireless receiver system configured to power a load of acomputer mouse, the wireless receiver system including: one or morereceiver electrical components, the one or more receiver electricalcomponents including one or more of a receiver control system, areceiver tuning system, a receiver power conditioning system, a receiversensing system, or components thereof, and a receiver antenna, thereceiver antenna including a plurality of receiver coils, each of theplurality of receiver coils configured to receive one or both of thewireless power signals and the wireless data signals within the largecharge area.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission antennaincludes a plurality of antenna molecules.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein each of the plurality of antenna molecules is a linearlyconfigured antenna molecule.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein each ofthe plurality of antenna molecules is a puzzled antenna molecule.
 5. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the plurality of antenna molecules areelectrically connected, to one another and the one or more transmissionelectrical components, in electrical series.
 6. The system of claim 2,wherein the transmission antenna further includes a source coil, whereinthe plurality of antenna molecules are connected to one another inelectrical series, and wherein the plurality of antenna molecules areconfigured as repeaters for repeating the wireless power signals orwireless data signals received from the source coil.
 7. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the plurality of antenna molecules include a sourceantenna molecule and one or more repeater antenna molecules, the sourceantenna molecule directly connected to the one or more transmissionelectrical components and the one or more repeater antenna molecules areconfigured as repeaters for repeating the wireless power signals orwireless data signals received from the source antenna molecule.
 8. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the plurality of antenna molecules includes afirst plurality of antenna molecules and a second plurality of antennamolecules, and wherein the first plurality of antenna molecules areinsulated from the second plurality of antenna molecules using aninsulator between the first and second pluralities of antenna molecules.9. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission antenna includes asource coil and an internal repeater coil.
 10. The system of claim 9,wherein the internal repeater coil includes a repeater tuning systeminternal of the internal repeater coil.
 11. The system of claim 9,wherein the source coil includes a first inter turn capacitor, andwherein the internal repeater coil includes a second inter turncapacitor.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the internal repeater coilincludes a repeater filter disposed between inner and outer turns of theinternal repeater coil.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the wirelesstransmission system further includes at least one sensor and ademodulation circuit, the at least one sensor configured to determineelectrical information associated with one or both of the wireless powersignals or the wireless data signals at the source coil.
 14. The systemof claim 9, wherein the wireless transmission system further includes atleast one sensor and a demodulation circuit, the at least one sensorconfigured to determine electrical information associated with one orboth of the wireless power signals or the wireless data signals at theinternal repeater coil.
 15. The system of claim 9, wherein the wirelesstransmission system further includes a first sensor, the first sensorconfigured to determine electrical information associated with one orboth of the wireless power signals or the wireless data signals at thesource coil, a first demodulation circuit associated with the firstsensor, a second sensor configured to determine electrical informationassociated with one or both of the wireless power signals or thewireless data signals at the internal repeater coil, a seconddemodulation circuit associated with the second sensor, and a summingamplifier for summing output of the first and second demodulationcircuits.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmissionsystem further includes a metallic mesh structure positioned underneaththe transmission antenna.
 17. The system of claim 1, wherein theplurality of receiver coils includes an internal repeater coil.
 18. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the plurality of receiver coils are aplurality of polygonal receiver coils.
 19. The system of claim 1,wherein the wireless receiver system further includes a plurality ofrectifiers, each of the plurality of rectifiers operatively associatedwith one of the plurality of receiver coils.
 20. The system of claim 1,wherein the wireless receiver system further includes a plurality ofmodulation circuits, each of the plurality of modulation circuitsoperatively associated with one of the plurality of receiver coils.